The Flames of Hatred
by VanG Ziggy ZA
Summary: Avatar Roku lies dying, and a dark Fire prince's hatred begins to grow. What will become of the world whem a comet brings unknown terror? COMPLETED AT LAST!
1. Chapter 1

Ziggy's Corner, This is my first attempt to write an Avatar story so I hope that I do a good job here. 'Cause I have an idea for at least two other stories besides this one.

FLAMES OF HATE

Avatar Roku lay in his bed, beads of sweat slowly trickling down his face. His breathing was labored, and he could barely open his eyes without his brain screaming in protest. It was almost the end of his race, and he knew it, this was what it felt when he had died the last time that he was a fire bender. Of course then he was a woman, and some of her priests had thought she was suffering from a hot flash, but even then she had known that it was the end.

_So I am once again to be an air bender. _Roku smiled and tried to put his hands behind the back of his head, but found it to be impossible. One of his attendants rushed to his aide, but he shook his head. "I'm fine," he said in an iron, but weakening voice.

"Avatar Roku," another priest said, slowly approaching his bed. The avatar turned and looked at the other man as he sat down next to him. "Sir, you have a visitor, Fire Lord Renjiro and the prince are here to see you."

Roku smiled and nodded, "Of course, let them in," he said with a weak chuckle. The priest rose and opened the large metal doors that shut the ailing avatar in his room, and allowed the fifty year old ruler of the fire nation, and his oldest son, the sixteen year old heir to the kingdom. The Fire Lord, dressed in long crimson red robes made of very fine silk, a vibrant orange girdle, and short black boots. His son's colors were similar, but darker in shade, and unlike his smiling father, he wore a grim scowl that made many of the priests edge far away.

"It is good to see you, Lord Renjiro," Roku managed to squeak out through his snow white bearded mouth.

"It is very good to see you still alive, my Lord Avatar," the nobleman said giving a slight bow to the bedded man. "It is a shame that you can not be up and about, the people are very anxious in your absence."

"As I am in theirs," Roku said with quiet laughter. How he wished he could be up and about, to greet the people more and more, or at least have them come in, so he couple mediate their problems, to joke with them, to bless the children – how he missed the laughter of children. They no longer even allowed him to visit the halls of the avatars, to seek comfort with his past lives. There was even a rumor that he had heard that all over the world, they were already beginning to make a statue in his honor, something that was only done once an avatar was on death's door.

_So they don't want to come right out and say it, but they know I am about to die. How the world has changed. _"How are affairs of state?"

"Since when are you interested in politics, old man?" Renjiro said with a sad laugh. He sat down next to the bed, and motioned for his son to join him, but the teenager scowled even more and stomped over to a dark corner. Renjiro sighed and looked at the old avatar.

"Please forgive my son, Avatar Roku, as he has been in bad spirits, for some time now," the noble man said with a groan. A twist of the next and eyes narrowing brought the boy closer, but not nearly close enough to suit a father's taste.

"Ah, the troubles of youth," Roku said, smiling. He turned to face the boy, but saw nothing but shadows and distaste in those dark eyes.

"What troubles me is what troubles everyone, old man," the boy snapped. The room filled with collective gasps at the bitterness of the words, and the boldness of the proclamation. The prince felt his muscles tighten as his father snapped his name, and demanded an apology, but the boy held tight his convictions.

"Father, the people do not need the 'blessing' of some old shaman that claims to constantly be reincarnated every he dies, they need and want order." He turned to his father, his young slender body growing tighter with every word. His long black hair, tips dyed blood red, glowed in the mid-Spring air and sunlight. "This silly superstition of each nation ruling the world by the claims of dozens of con men and women is ridiculous."

Renjiro rose to his feet as if he had never had sat, and glared at the boy. "That will be enough blasphemy, for one day, child."

"If the Avatar is so great, then why do criminals still gather in the forests, and the seas of the world?" the teen shouted, pounding a fist into the wall of the elderly holy man's room. "People are killed, murdered, and I don't want to even begin to say what happens to single, young women who travel alone in forests."

"Enough," the Fire Lord's famous anger was now growing. He snapped the boy's name yet again and ordered him from the room.

"Why? The Water nation and those silly Air benders do nothing to enforce laws to protect villagers or pilgrims, and the Earth nation only guards her own borders, while asking us to help with our soldiers, while expecting us to protect our own people too! They are lazy father, the world is amiss in laziness, and ancient hocus pocus." He turned his wrath on the old man lying on the bed.

"Where were you when my mother and sister, were brutally assaulted in the Denikai Forest? Where were you when a group of your own nuns leading a batch of children to the ocean to visit the Water Nation, only to be captured and made slaves of by pirates!"

He was become hysterical, his body shaking like a wild storm. Fire priests and other guardsman rushed into the room, and tried to restrain the boy, but he used fire bending to shake them off. His father, horrified by the anger, stood motionless. "The avatars are a tradition the world needs to do without, your stagnant age and uselessness has come to an end, so do the world a favor, and when you die 'again' this time, stay dead."

He turned to his father and his dark brown eyes glowed with hot flames, the edges of his eyes turning orange. "Father, the world needs a strong leader, a strong nation to guide it into a true era of peace, why can't you _see that, _damn it!"

"Enough," Renjiro roared. The Fire Lord leapt into the air, and with a spinning round kick, sent a wave of fire, which knocked his son off his feet. The priests and guards were quick to restrain him as soon as his back landed on the cold marble floor. "Take my son to his quarters, and secure it. I'll be along and have a talk with him."

"You will not be around to play the meek, shepherd forever Father," the boy called out as he was drug off. "And I'm not the only one in the kingdom who thinks like I do. A future is coming; a bright future, and not you nor your precious Avatar can stop it!" The last words echoed through the room as the avatar's door was slammed shut.

Renjiro looked at the avatar, his face wide with horror. His skin was pale white, and his eyes were darker than a starless night. Even the bright red wall covers seemed to dull in the atmosphere now. "I- I am so sorry, Avatar Roku, my son, I had no idea he had so much hatred in his soul." He dropped to his knees, as if coming to a priest before confession, "Ever since my wife and daughter were ravaged and murdered by those bandits three years ago he has grown so distant." Tears began to form in his eyes. "I've tried to soothe him, to help him with his grief, but I was not strong enough."

"I'm so very sorry, Renjiro about your wife and daughter," the avatar's words were bitter and full of absolute sorrow. "I wish that I could have stopped it."

"A legion of my best soldiers could not stop it," Renjiro said, shaking his thin, skull like head his thinning black hair capturing what light there was in the room. "You were on a mission to the Earth nation, a peace mission, I understand that. It is not your fault." The avatar belongs to the world, not to one single nation. Surprisingly he began to laugh for a few minutes, before explaining his action. "It must be a hard life, one that I thank the fates saw fit that did not belong to me," his head snapped up for a moment, and his eyes swirled at the older man before lowering again. "I apologize for that, Avatar Roku."

The avatar stared at him and then began laughing himself. "There is no need to apologize Renjiro," he said, as he regained his senses. "There has been many a time that I have longed the fates that they had created me a farmer, I'd even accept a dung worker in a stable sometimes, than to this life." The two men and a few of the priests chuckled, and then the avatar sighed a painful gasp of breathe, and waved everyone away. "I can only thank you for your kindness."

"And I yours, Avatar Roku," the Fire Lord said, tears running down his cheeks. The older man motioned for him to inch closer and whispered something in his ear, and as the Fire Lord pulled back the tears flowed down even more. "It would be my most gracious honor, Roku."

The avatar forced his pained arm forward, and placed a hand on the noble man's head. He said a few phrases in an ancient language, a very archaic ritual, and then smiled. "Well, I hope that when the time comes, and we meet again, it will be as favorable as it has been this day," he said with an agonized laugh. "After all, I know that air benders aren't one hundred percent you most favorite of people," he gave the Fire Lord a playful wink and leaned back in his bed.

"You could come back as a rhino, and still find favor in my court, Avatar Roku," Rinjiro said, tears rolling down his cheeks. "Be at peace, my dear friend."

The avatar smiled slowly and looked deeply in the eyes of his old friend, one who had grown up with him, who pulled many pranks with him when they were teenagers. As he had done so many, many times, for thousands of years, Avatar Roku opened his mouth and spoke very familiar words, "I am at peace."

There was an eerie calm, and all around the room, one by one, the candles that littered the walls of the avatar's room went out with a puff of wind. Avatar Roku's eyes grew bright for a moment, and then duller until they looked as cold and glassy as a girl's toy doll's eyes.

Avatar Roku, age eighty three, born of poor peasants in the Fire Kingdom, brought up by the Fire priests of the kingdom, and trained as the next avatar, after the death of Avatar Genseku, was dead; his spirit racing toward the body off a young child, somewhere in the Air Nation.

Somewhere nine months later, in the Air Nation, a very young woman groaned with unbelievable agony, lying on her bed, surrounded by her husband and family. The doctor continued to console her, and asked her to push, despite this being her seventh hour of labor. He bit his lips and considered cutting the woman open, but he knew the husband would have hacked his hands off before he would get anywhere near her.

"She's lost a lot of blood," he told the man, looking up. "If we don't do something, she may not make it."

"I don't care," the man whined, "she's the only thing I've got left, and --," he was cut off as a large burst of warm wind pushed open the living quarter's windows, and surrounded the woman's body. "What is going on?" the man screamed.

"I don't know," the doctor, hollered under the roar of the wind. It circled the poor woman, and then flowed into her mouth. An instant later, there was a bright light, and her agony ended. She blinked, and found renewed strength. With a thrust of the new energy filling her body, she pushed, twice, and on the third attempt, a tiny, naked little boy came laughing into the world. _Laughing!_

The doctor took a look at the boy, whose body was glowing with bright light seconds after he had left his mother's womb, and then at the father. "I'm sorry, but I'm from the Earth Nation, is this a natural birth in the Air Nation?"

"Not that I know of," the father said, looking as the bright blue light slowly diminished from the body. There was an easiness staring at his son's eyes, and despite the unnatural birth, the father could only smile.

"So, what name do you want to give him?" the doctor asked, washing the blood from the boy's body, and handing him to his mother.

Both parents answered in unison. "Aang." 

_**So how was it? And could someone tell me the name of the Fire Lord who was reigning when the comet first came down and gave him extra power? This is the young prince in my story, also the name of the comet, would be nice, though I believe it had the same name as the Fire Lord. Anyway, enough ranting from me, Review, Review, Review!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**6 reviews! Awesome, not as many as my romance, but this will do too! Okay, chapter two takes place; ironically, two years after the first chapter ends. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, and to everyone who supplied me with Sozen's name.**_

Prince Sozen stalked the red covered halls to the main burial room of the castle. His long dark brown hair waved beyond him as he rushed to pay his final respects, his bright orange eyes memorizing each aspect of the antechamber as he walked. It would be the last time he would see his mother's and sister's bodies, after five years of viewing and grieving by the public. The Fire Sages created the glass coffins, and prepared their bodies to slow down decomposition too much. As it was the custom, it was now time to bury the past, and lower the glasses coffins into the large volcanic chamber below the room, where the heat would make the glass dense, and allow the bodies to remain as they were the day they died forever. The Fire Prince stopped walked, and looked down at his shoes with a deep, penetrating piercing gaze. How odd it was that they would be _frozen_ forever in their youth, by searing _heat._

He entered the room, and felt warm tears sting his eyes. His head snapped away from the center of the rooms, and he scowled. No, no this was their day; he would not dishonor them with such a reaction. There was no time for tears anymore, Sozen had cried every last tear he would ever cry the night he received the news.

He had just celebrated his twelfth birthday the day before, and his mother and sister were on their way to an Earth Kingdom town, bordering on the Fire Nation's land, to buy him a very large sword, which he had planned to train with upon entering the army. His father had asked him to train with his grandfather's sword, but the boy had been stubborn, like most boys of his age were during those days, he had seen a glorious sword a few months before in the town, and insisted that the future leader of the nation could only bring honor to his family with such an outstanding weapon.

His father finally caved, but at the last minute business had come up, one of the Earth Kingdom's lower monarchs had demanded an audience with the Fire Lord, and being the peacemaker he was, Fire Lord Renjiro had agreed. Hence his mother and sister volunteered to go, and buy the sword, promising to return two days after leaving. They never came back.

It was a few days after they left that a sole survivor of the attachment of the royal guards his father ordered to go with them came back. He was bloodied, broken, and looked even less like an animal, crawling up to the throne, than an animal in the slaughter house.

"Your Majesty," he had groaned. He hadn't needed to say anything else. "Bandits, sire, they ambushed us, and took your wife and daughter. We tried to fight them off, but there were so many." It was the last words he ever spoke; the noble guard collapsed to the floor, and oozed what life he had left.

There were supposed to have been some Earth Nation guards along with the Fire Nation, but the lazy king brought them back a few hours before the trip happened, for the sake of showing off his might to another Earth Nation king. When Renjiro had kindly asked for aide, in locating the men who had caused the crime, and to find his wife and daughter, the king would only agree if the Fire Nation paid them two hundred and fifty gold coins. And the frosting on the air bending cake, the Avatar was orchestrating a peace treaty between the fat bastard and the richer, more powerful Earth Nation king.

His father paid the price reluctantly, and the two bodies of the dearest women Sozen had ever known were found near a beach, naked and ruined. One of the monsters responsible was a cousin of the Earth Nation king, and received only a house arrest, a damned slap on the wrist. The others, either got away, or were exiled from the Earth Kingdom, never too be truly punished, despite Fire Nation protests. In all truthfulness the Air Nation has also protested, but Sozen could only feel the burning desires of anger and revenge build deep within him.

The Avatar was gone now, at least according to superstition, _Roku_ was gone, but there was no doubt in the prince's mind that the avatar _was _gone, and would be gone for good this time. Sozen frowned and stomped forward to look at his mother and sister one last time, his mind a volcano of activity. _He'd_ see too it, even if he had to eradicate the Air Nation to do it.

"What are you doing here?" Renjiro snarled, his eyes narrowing as he marched in his long white robes towards his boy. "And why would you come to this ceremony dressed so, so inappropriately?"

Sozen frowned and bit his lips until he tasted blood. "She's my mother, Dani was my sister," the prince snapped, spinning on his heels. "Not that you would care."

The anger in his voice took the king back, and caused him to take a few steps back in retreat. "Son, of course I care, but what has happened in the past has happened in the past." He shook his head. "You had all day yesterday to be with them," he said waving his hand toward the coffins. "As is the way of our people, or did you forget the law of the nation, it is the Fire Lord's, and only the Fire Lord's right to be present at the Scal-kai." He studied the clothes of his son, the clothes of a Fire Nation military commander, and scowled. "I will have to ask you to leave," he said, sorrow drowning his tone.

"I will be here for my family," Prince Sozen howled proudly, tongues of fire roaring from his body as he stared at his father.

"Sozen, enough, you have dishonored your family too much already, would you now complete our disgrace with absolute blasphemy?" Renjiro felt flames begin to lick his veins, and he groaned under the pressure to release them.

"Who's the disgrace, father?" the prince screamed, his voice bouncing off the octagon shaped room, draped in green and white colors. The smell of sulfur and smoke was nearly suffocating, except of course for a fire bender. "A son and brother who wants to be with his mother and sister in the last few minutes before the Scal-kai? Or could it be a father who is so entrenched in his brainwashing and old fashioned ideas that he would blow off his only remaining direct family member, spouting nonsense about blasphemy? " Sozen began to pace around the Fire Lord, and narrowed his eyes.

"He who brings dishonor is the one who brings disgrace," his father growled, his own eyes growing dangerously dark.

"No, no, no," Sozen roared, stomping his foot, flames literally pouring from his mouth. "That statement is from Roku,"

"_Avatar _Roku," his father snapped, pointing a finger at his son.

"_That's_ what I'm talking about!" Sozen howled. "You are so brainwashed that you would trade your family for your faith! You'd trade your own individuality for it!"

"Son," the Fire Lord said between clenched teeth, "that is not the case. My embracing the faith is what makes me an individual. It is what allows me to see clearly, to negotiate, and bring peace."

"It's what makes you weak!" Sozen screamed. His face was contorted in an odd form that made him look like a Fire demon, born of pure darkness. His lips were pulled back, exposing sharpened teeth, and his forehead burrowed deep down towards his eyes. "The world demands order, not fairy tales."

"When the time comes, you will realize that you must release your hatred, Sozen, or it will destroy you," his father said. His eyes softened, and he attempted to approach his son. "It's been hard for us all, my dear boy, more so for Avatar Roku than you ever realized. He was like a father too your mother, the news of her death nearly drove him over the edge with sorrow." He smiled for a moment and raised a finger, "But it was faith that healed those wounds. It was faith that he knew that while her body would no longer walk, or talk, or eat, your mother still lived on, and still does today." He reached to touch his son's shoulders, but the prince ripped himself from his father's grasp.

"You are a fool," the boy said. "I will not be complete until the crimes committed against the people of our world are brought to an end."

"And how would you do that?" his father asked crossing his robed arms.

"We have the largest army in the world; we are already expected to be the planet's physical protectors. Now that the avatar is gone, we can be the complete guardians of the world, and bring cowards who killed mother and Dani to justice." He smiled and crossed his arms, walking to the coffin of his sister, and stroked it.

Dani had been his best friend, her long black hair, and brilliant lavender eyes, her sweet soft voice and musical laughter. Children would flock to her when she walked through a Fire Nation town. The elderly would come to her for advice; the ill took courage in her presence. Those damned Earth Nation bandits had no right to take that away from his people. Irritating as it was for the boy, he knew that she would have forgiven her attacks, had she remained alive. Perhaps she laid on the beach, her last thoughts were forgiveness for them, but that was Dani's way, not Sozen's.

"Might without compassion, will bring nothing but bloodshed and endless nightmares for the world son," the Fire Lord pleaded. "A true ruler knows how to balance the scale between justice and vengeance, so that justice always prevails. And that is done with only mercy and compassion."

"You are a fool," the prince snarled again. "If we do not establish order, the darkness of despair will only run rampant through all time. We are at a cross roads father, even if we do not act, someone else from one of the other nations might, and as lazy and slothful as they are, do you really want them dispensing 'justice'?

"Sozen," Renjiro sighed, shaking his head. As he opened his mouth to say another word, the Fire Sages entered the room, one by one, their eyes widening as they looked at the two men standing almost in the center of the place.

"If you have power, you must use that power, father," his son snapped.

"It will be a power that you will never possess," his father sighed, his eyes filling with tears. Sozen spun on his heels, and frowned, his jaw dropping to the lava below. Those words had been like a punch in the gut, but then to see his father cry? Sozen had heard from the servants that Renjiro had wept for hours after hearing the news about his mother and Dani, but he had never seen it happen. He honestly thought his father incapable of shedding a tear.

His voice was soft, almost inaudible. "What?"

"Your hatred is too strong, my son. It would ruin our nation if you took the throne, ruin peace for everyone." Renjiro's shoulders dropped and he began weeping louder, staring at the two coffins and his son. "You leave me with no choice, I hear by decree that the throne will pass from me, to your cousin Gai, upon my death."

The head Fire Sage gasped, and rushed forward, his own eyes wide with horror. He nearly tripped over the light brown stone floor of the room, and he shook his head. "My Lord, are you sure of this statement?" Renjiro looked at the priest and sighed, nodding his head.

His face had grown thinner now, more like a dying oval than the strong, circular orb it had once been. His skin was nearly gray, and his thin hands shook like they were a puppet's being controlled by a string. "I'm afraid so." He turned to his son and fought back more tears.

"So I am to be banished then?" the prince snarled, his face more inhuman as it had ever been.

Renjiro gasped, the sound like steam slipping through cracks in a wall. "No Sozen, you are still my son, I would never bring myself to do such a thing," he cried.

Sozen narrowed his dark orange eyes and stalked to his father. "You may wish you had, old man," he hissed. He turned from him, taking in one last, loving look at his mother and sibling, and then stormed out of the room.

_**Okay, hopefully I did this just as well as the first chapter. I have to tell you I was kind of looking forward to it, and had a lot of fun, though I am looking forward to the next two chapters also! So Review and let me know what ya all think? Has this thirty year old dude hit a second home run? Review, Review, Review!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Well still only 6 reviews, and to think that this was once my top review getter! Ah well. I know I'll get more of them once I add the next couple of chapters. So anyway chapter three takes place seven years after chapter two ends, Sozen in now 23 years old, and his father has been dead for five years (which means he died two years after chapter two ended, for those of you keeping track ;) ). Hopefully I will have done another good job, enjoy!**_

The Fire Nation had gotten lazy. Sozen's dark orange eyes scanned the streets of the Imperial city as he walked by, listening to idle gossip, to the latest trends, to such immoral sights and sounds it made his stomach turn triple back flips. Every other corner had Earth Nation soldiers standing around doing nothing but chewing curds, and gawking at any scantily clad Fire Nation girl that caught their eyes. _So, this is what you had in mind for our nation father?_

Sozen fixed his generals uniform and stormed through the streets, shutting his eyes. The imperial city used to be filled with such glamour, and had been until his father had died, and his lazy, good for nothing cousin Gai took the throne. Oh sure, he was a talented tactician, and knew where to put troops where they were needed, and in the first two years of his reign seemed to be an adequate choice to rule the country. In fact, it almost was enough for Sozen to accept the lose of the throne to his cousin, as the other boy seemed just as determined to reestablish order as Sozen did. Then he married that little Earth Nation princess and everything went to pot.

Just as he had prophesied, it was the Earth Nation taking control of affairs of state around the world. Rape, murder, vandalism, every crime under the sun was now rampant through out the world, save for perhaps the Air Nation's temples. Sozen had tried and tried to make his cousin see what was happening, but Gai was too busy doting on his spoiled wife's extravagant and useless demands to listen.

"Things have just changed, cousin," he once replied with a complacent smile. "This is the way the world seems to want to go, who are we to push our ideals on them?"

Sozen scowled as he continued walking toward the palace, the smells of foods drifting down to the peasants, who were now living in mud huts in the shadow of an ever growing mountain of a castle. When his father had lived there, the castle had been only a shadow of the size it was now, simple and eloquent, but with enough power that people knew who were in control. Now it was a massive playboy's mansion, or rather a playgirl's mansion, full of out of control parties every night of the week, licentious laughter and actions and scornful of the people who lived next to it.

The Fire Nation general glared up at the castle and hissed, turning a corner. He was supposed to be making a report to the Fire Lord, but his mind had other ideas right now. Things that mattered the security of the state – of the world, things that Sozen had to do to protect everything he held dear.

Sozen covered his face with a cloak and continued marching through the slums, until he was in the tent of an old Fire Sage, who Gai had let go, on his wife's demands. The tent was damp and musty full with ancient boxes and jewelry and much more ancient books and scrolls. It smelled of body odor, and wet dog, fresh dog droppings, and dozens of birds squawked flapping their dusty wings as he walked by them.

The Fire Sage looked up at the general and smiled. "I see you've come to a decision," he said in a cracked voice. "Good." The Fire Sage was minuscule, hunch backed, with a glass eye. He smiled at the young man, flashing dirty rotten teeth, at least the teeth he still had. There was a part of the young general's mind that understood why his cousin's wife wanted this man out of her court. And it wasn't because of his smell or appearance, either. The old man motioned for him to sit, and then did likewise, crossing his legs as he sat on a chair.

"I'm still just considering it," Sozen said, looking at the old priest.

"I would think fast," the old man croaked, he reached for some papers with thin bony hands, and unfolded them. "Time is running out for our nation," he said, tapping his fingers on old astrology maps. "The planets are aligning, and that means something major is going to happen, but if you do not act, I fear it could mean the end of our people."

"We've been here for ten thousand years, old man," the general snapped. "And in half of that time, our government has lasted. I doubt anything in the stars could change that." The sky outside seemed to grow darker as clouds began to form, and there was a slight chill in the air.

"A storm is coming," the old priest said, craning his neck to glare outside. He returned his attention to the former prince, and narrowed his eyes. "And not one of water or wind," his voice had grown strong, and strangely dark and disturbing.

"What of it?" the general snarled. Sozen bore his teeth and rose to his feet as he looked at the old man. "Are you talking about revolution?"

"I'm talking of enslavement," the old man snapped. "Should we miss our chance; the Earth Nation will run through our lands, taking from our people what is theirs. I fear the Water Nation too will rise against us unless we act."

"The Water Nation has no army, and its navy is so small it could hardly be a threat to anything other than a whale," the general snapped. He had heard enough of this; the old man was clearly insane.

"But it is need for power that has brought you to me, isn't that correct?" the Fire Sage asked with a crooked smile.

"I do not want power," Sozen quipped. "I want what's best for the Fire Nation – and the world."

"So you would like to have control then?" the other man asked, still bearing his smile.

"I want order," the young man snapped, leaning over and glaring straight into the dirty face of the Fire Sage. "As does the entire world. With order will come peace."

"In order to achieve order, one must have control, and in order to have control one must have power," the old man chuckled. He watched his former prince scowl at him and begin to walk off. "Sozen," the old man cried. The general stopped in his tracks and turned to face him. "Gai will never do what is best for our people, or the world. His wife will never allow it, she thinks only of herself." His eye began to shift and seemed to turn tender. "If you truly fear for our world, then the best way to do it is to become Fire Lord yourself."

Sozen thought for a moment and stroked his chin. "And how am I to do that without causing revolution, and adding to the people's woes?" he snapped. True the military had its fill with Gai and his wife, and would back Sozen one hundred percent. Most of the poor "riffraff" would join with him too, but then what of counter revolution and then re-counter revolutions? The land would be soaked in blood forever.

"An Agni Kai," the old priest said, his tone dead serious.

The general felt his jaw drop, and he stared at the old man. "A Fire Duel?" There hadn't been one of those in two hundred years.

"It's either that or you can watch as chaos takes our world."

A few months later Sozen was in his cousin's court, his mind still racing with what the old priest had said. The general had tried to talk to him a few more times, but was always sent on a mission or ordered to fill out paperwork by his superiors. It was odd; it was as if someone did not want the general to speak to the old priest. In the end, the old man was found strangled to death, the victim of a supposed botched burglary.

The general stood at his "lord's" side, listening to the odd request or complaint of this or that, when a family strode forward and bowed their heads at their king.

"What can I do for you on this day?" Gai asked, stroking his long thick beard. His voice was narrow and deep and boomed off the walls of the throne room like it was a bouncy ball.

"Fire Lord Gai," the nervous man said, his arms around his wife and children. "As you know, Fire Lord Renjiro has been dead for five years now, but the people were only allowed to pay our respects to him for only two years, and now we are hearing that the court is preparing him for Scal-Kai."

"And your point is?" Gai asked. He was thinner than the old priest, but behind those bones were waves of muscles. Taller than anyone in the Fire Nation, Fire Lord Gai could intimidate the most ferocious of adversaries, but preferred not to.

Secretly Sozen fumed. It was bad enough that his father had denied him the right to stay and watch his mother's and sister's last few seconds before the sacred rite, but now because of being "excommunicated" by his father, he would no longer be allowed to see the last of his direct line be enveloped in the Scal-Kai either.

"Sir, your Lordship, sir," the man began, "I know it is sacrilege to speak of this, but could you not put off the Scal-Kai just a little longer, so that the youngest of the nation's children can pay their respects."

Gai frowned for a moment and stroked his beard, it had been his wife's desire to lower the time limit for the people to pay their respects. The Fire Lord turned to his wife and then back at the man. "I suppose --," he began.

"No," the woman next to him replied. Everyone seemed to jump at her words. If Gai was skinny, she was down right skeletal. The Fire Lady crossed her arms and shook her dark brown hair. "No, you've had your time, and besides," she smiled, "there will be no Scal-Kai preformed anyway."

The room was filled with horror and gasps. Eyes widened with shock and outrage as they looked at their queen. She turned to her husband, and puppy dog pouted. "It's such a boring ritual," she whined. "And so silly, couldn't you just . . . bury him somewhere or something? Maybe just throw his body into the volcano; I know how you Fire benders are fond of it."

"Blasphemy!" Sozen jumped and blinked his eyes; did that word just come from his own lips? He shook his head and looked at his cousin. "You can't seriously be considering listening to her on this!"

"Sozen," he replied with a sigh, "I've told you before, the world is changing, and if this is what they want then. . .," he began.

"This isn't about what the world wants," he barked at Gai, "it's about what your anorexic, spoiled bitch of a wife wants." There were more gasps, and Gai shot to his feet.

"You will take back those treasonous words, or you will face exile," he growled. He turned to his wife, and stroked her hand as she smiled smugly at the general.

"I have kept quiet for far too long," the general snarled in princely pride. "I didn't always agree with my father, especially about giving you control, but I kept my mouth shut for the good of our people." He looked at the bitter woman sitting on the throne and back at his cousin. "And she and her people want nothing that's good for our people."

The throne room broke into jeers from the nobility and cheers from the guards and the poor people waiting to speak to the Fire Lord, especially the young man who had brought this all about.

"Guards, take this man out of my sight," the Fire Lord snarled.

"I challenge," Sozen growled.

"What?" Gai looked at him with large eyes and upturned lips.

"For the throne, I challenge you to an Agni Kai," the general said, his voice returning more regal with the second.

"This is ridiculous, I am the Fire Lord," Gai roared above the dim of the room.

"According to our laws, you must either accept, or step down off of that throne."

Gai's wife rose to her feet, her eyes indignant. "Then I reverse those laws," she snapped. Now even the nobility seemed to gasp and glare at their Lord.

"No man or woman can reverse the Agni Kai, despite their rank or title," Sozen said. He turned to his cousin and narrowed his eyes. "Do you accept, or no."

Gai swallowed hard and stared at his cousin. "I accept," he growled.

The challenge was held the next day in the open fields of the old stadium. The building was packed to capacity filled with peasants, Fire Sages, many of whom were praying for the revelation of the new Avatar more so than ever now, military, and nobility.

Sozen stood on one side of the field, his cousin on the other side, robes hanging loose on their shoulders. There was absolutely no noise as they stood backs to each other. Slowly the two men rose, their robes floating to the ground. Another second passed, and then the two of them rushed each other, flames flying from their fists and feet.

Dai pushed back his cousin with sheer power, and launched a flying flaming kick at Sozen's face, sending him reeling back to the edge of his wall and down on his knees. He hissed and shot to his feet, countering with a flaming whip toward the ground, which cause his cousin to lose his balance, and flung his whole weight at Dai, chopping his shoulders with a blow that would burst a solid gold brick.

The Fire Lord groaned in pain, and shut his eyes, knowing that he made a mistake at that second. Dai back flipped through the air, and tried to catch his cousin off guard, but once on the offense, he would not let up. Dai found himself on the receiving end of a low kick to the stomach, a chop to his head, a blast of flames to his face, and a scissor lock around Dai's neck, and tossed him into his own wall, sending flaming balls at the wall afterwards. The crowd shrieked with terror, and then stood at a cheer as bricks collapsed on Dai, pinning him to the ground.

Sozen strode over to him, flames licking his clenched left hand, and he aimed the heat at Dai. "Do you yield?" he snarled. Dai looked at him for a moment, and turned his gaze away. "I won't ask you again, do you yield?" Sozen snapped.

"I yield," Dai said weakly.

"Then take your wife, and leave the kingdom," the new Fire Lord said, stepping back. With a small blast of fire, he freed his cousin, and pointed toward the docks. "Do not come back, and," he looked at a small regent of Earth Nation soldiers and pointed at them, "take them with you. The Earth Nation's military are _persona non gratia_, from this time forward in this nation."

"You can't do this," Dai's wife roared, storming up to him. "The Earth Nation has done much for your people, we've brought you out of the dark ages you put yourself in and –," she stopped as she faced Sozen's glowing fists.

"One more word; and you will never say anything ever again," he growled.

"She's a princess in the Earth Nation," Dai warned, "they might not like you threatening their nobility."

"Then they can answer to my fleet if they want," Sozen said with a sharp smile. "Now get out of here," he said; his voice abnormally calm.

And as Dai and his wife left, a cry unlike arose from the likes no nation on the planet in the history of the planet had every heard before. Cheering like the people were now in the presence of a newly born god. A new age had come to the Fire Nation, one that would throw shadows and storms on the planet's surface for a hundred years.

**_And that's the end of chapter three, hope you enjoyed it. The fourth chapter deals with his marriage and to the birth of his only child. It's getting darker ladies and gents, but the storm has not quite come just yet. And look for a certain ten year old Air monk whom the world will later come to know and love, hint, hint ;)._**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Ziggy's Corner: Okay we have ten reviews now! In the top five this story is the fifth, with Avatar the Last Air bender: A Mid Winter's Romance, Sly Cooper: Everything's Relative, Avatar the Last Air bender: Kiss and Tell, and Witch Hunter Robin: Into the Flames of Veinica, being the top four above this story. Not too bad though, if I add the reviews for three of my four Avatar stories (Why has no one reviewed the Fire Hunt! weeps bitterly at possible failure) I have over sixty reviews! I guess I was meant to write Avatar the Last Air bender fics ! Okay this story takes place one year after the last chapter ends. Hope you all enjoy it.**_

Sozen sat on his throne, watching the parade of soldiers pass between him and the cheering crowd below. He smiled, and held the hand of his wife of almost ten months. He turned to her and kissed her cheek, grinning from ear to ear as she blushed and placed her hand on her round stomach, which was growing each day. It hadn't taken him long to make an heir to the kingdom.

"And what if she's a girl?" Jenai asked, flashing him her bright brown eyes. "Our laws state only men may have the right to the throne."

"If it's a girl, then I'll see to it that the laws are changed," he chuckled. "Any girl who kicks like that can't be much of a push over." His smile fell for a few minutes as he thought about current affairs. Gai and his witch of a wife were spreading lies up the dung pile about the new administration, and numerous Earth Nation kingdoms had united in an attempt to force Sozen from his throne. Already they had blockaded his port, and expelled many Fire Nation dignitaries from their lands. "We are going to need a strong leader for the storms coming."

Jenai shifted her weight, her light brown hair glowing in the sun, her summer tan dress pressing against her body. She pierced her thick flame red lips and stared at him. "I thought we agreed there would be no more talk of politics for a while."

"I don't see how that can be helped," he snapped quickly, his orange eyes flashing with anger for a moment before they melted at her gaze. Sozen sighed and shook his head. "I-I'm sorry, Jenai." He rose to his feet and watched the parade, and made a few comments, telling the people the state of their kingdom.

Things were orderly, just as he had wanted, crime was down to an all time low, most criminals were dealt with harshly, and crime trials were withered down to only a single day of discussions. Sozen had ordered that only a judge could decide the fate of a criminal, promising to bring back trials by juries within time – once the threat of war was eclipsed by peace. He made schools mandatory, and rid the country of bureaucracy; all taxes and policies were now dealt with by Sozen and only Sozen. There were a few nay-sayers about his policies at first, but as things seemed to begin to run smoothly, the Fire Lord's adversaries were quickly silenced by the people. And those few that still opposed his rule were arrested for the good of the peace and exiled. The other nations considered Sozen a tyrant, abusing his power, but he refused to be swayed by such arguments. True, many liberties were being taken away, but it was for the good of the people so as to sustain peace. As soon as things were running full speed for his administration, Sozen promised the people and himself that all liberties taken from them would be restored, he even had a grand plan to great a council to counter his power within time, but that would have to wait until the war was brushed aside.

The Fire Lord finished his speech, and smiled at the cheers and happiness of his people. He refused to allow his pride to swell, he knew all too well what may happen if that ever occurred, and Sozen was not about to become tyrant in reality as he "was" in deed.

He walked into the great hall, and sat down, wiping his brow as he sipped an ice tea, and read the current reports of the day. Three more Earth Nation kingdoms had taken up their fleets to block his country, although the high capital of Bosing Se refused to be dragged into the conflict.

"Why couldn't all Earth Nation people be as level headed as their own capital?" he sighed. He continued reading, and signed into effect a license that bought a large chunk of land in the water kingdom for his armies and fleets, in case of war, then finished reading the reports and waved his advisors away.

"Sire, there are many more things to do," one began.

"I'm sure there are," he stated, "but I'd rather be with my wife than here right now. What I've done will serve the country for now." A Fire Sage reached over and grabbed his arm, bowing with respect as his king glowered at him.

"You're majesty, I apologize, but there has not been word from the Air Temples for some time now, I was hoping that you would authorize a small troupe of my brothers to travel to their country and ask of the news of the new avatar."

Sozen's eyes shrunk as he stared down at the old man and tore himself from his grip. "The avatar is dead, he's not coming back," he roared. The old man stood on trembling legs and looked at his king. "You and your brothers serve your people now, not some superstitious hack pretending to be an immortal god in human flesh."

"You're highness, you must understand that the Fire Temples are independent of all matters of state," the old sage said, his voice wavering.

"For now you are, but if war breaks out, I'll need all Fire Nation people under my banner if we are to triumph over our enemy." He sighed, and shook his head, his teeth gnashing so hard that they cracked at the words he was about to speak next. "There is a group of those people here in the kingdom anyway, if you must obey your silly superstitions, then go to them, and ask your questions."

"It would be so gracious of you to invite them into the throne room, husband dear," Jenai said sweetly as she walked into the hall. "I would love to met them, I've long wanted to travel to the Air Nation anyway," she could sense his tension even at her words, and she stroked a long arm. "Besides, if war does break out, the Air Nation at this point and time is very neutral. A favorable meeting of their dignitaries with the Fire Lord could change that."

Sozen sighed and smiled, his hate melting at the smiling eyes of his wife. "Very well," he said. Turning to the Fire Sage, he lowered his head and blinked. "Have those people come into the throne room, and we shall have our discussions. If you wish, you may ask about _your_ avatar afterwards."

The Fire Sage smiled at the possibility of peace in religion in the kingdom, and nodded. "As you command, Sire."

Six Air Monks stood before him, four ancient relics possibly as old as their religion, a man in his forties, and a small boy possibly no more then ten years old. They bowed to the king and stood, their arms crossed in their sleeves as they waited for him to speak.

"As I am sure you are aware, I am a king of peace, and yet the Earth Nation continues to blockade my nation with more and more ships. While my people are not exactly suffering from this ridiculous conspiracy of lies my cousin Gai has pushed on us, time will come when we will run out of rations from our own land."

"We rely a lot on money and rations from the other nations, especially the Water Nation and your Air Temples," his wife said sweetly.

Sozen nodded. "I don't know how long we could hold out without intervention, unless we were to strike, so I humbly ask that your nation support us in this endeavor to keep peace."

The eldest of the Air Monks cleared his throat, and stepped forward. "Your Highness, we of the Air Nation truly understand your blight, and we deeply feel for the agony of the Fire Nation, but you must understand, unlike the other nations we are not a warrior people, we have no weapons no ships, and no desire to press our people into service."

"But you _can_ meditate, between the Earth Nation and us, before there is any real war," the Fire Lord said, trying to keep his calm. "Perhaps you'll be understanding enough to allow us to buy some land from you, to protect your villages as some of the Water Tribes have done."

"I'm sorry Your Highness, but we will sale our land to no man, the same as we have told the Earth Nation Kingdoms. What's more, we have tried to negotiate peace, but unfortunately the Earth Sages have been given very little freedom to speak their minds on this matter."

"If war does come, you must understand that it might brush against your border," Sozen said, trying to be as reasonable as possible. His fingers were gripping the arms of his throne so tight, that he almost broke his bones.

"We can only pray that the Avatar will be revealed, and defend all innocent life before that happens," the white haired monk answered with a pleasant smile.

The boy stood forward and bowed again. "Your Highness, I'm sure that with enough faith and patience, there will remain peace. Your kingdom is wonderful, and I've made hundreds of friends while I've been here. One in particular, Kuzon, is my best friend!"

"Ah Kuzon," Jenai said with a bright smile. "He's a second cousin of my husband."

"Really, how cool, he never mentioned it before …," the boy jumped as one of the elderly monks placed a strong hand on his shoulder. He sighed and bowed his head. "Anyway, if more people thought like Kuzon did, I'm sure there will never come a time of war."

Sozen's eyes were squinted so tight he could barely see anything. He had nothing against this boy, or his second cousin, but children's places were where they could be seen and not heard. It also frustrated him immensely that these fanatics, like the Fire Sages with them, were so intent on obedience to their human "god". If the avatar really was an Air Bender and had been standing in front of him just now, that "god" would find out just how mortal he or she really was. Then the whole idiotic system of one man negotiator would crumble and the world would have to face a system of checks and balances, which the Fire Nation would lead.

"Perhaps you are right, young monk," he thought for a moment and tapped his fingers. "Er, what was your name again?"

"His name is Aang, your Highness," the elderly monk answered for him.

"Perhaps you are right, Aang. I truly hope so; calmer heads are much easier to work with than those who would rattle their sabers all day long." He made himself smile and he nodded. "And I apologize for taking your time away from your studies of our land, and your prayers. Please feel free to rest in one of my suites."

It was then that Jenai gasped, and squeezed her husband's hand very tightly. He turned to her and felt the color melt from his skin as he looked at her. "Darling?"

"My water has just broke," she wheezed.

A few hours later the screams of a very healthy, very upset baby boy filled the palace walls. The air bending monks had stayed and helped Jenai with her delivery, and it had been young Aang who had actually caught the child as he emerged into the world.

"What are you going to name him, Your Highness?" the boy asked.

"His name is Kaori," Sozen said proudly. "You gave me the idea, young monk. It means peace."

_**Okay this chapter was light hearted to an extent, but starting next chapter, you can kiss all of that good bye! What did you think of Aang being the one to help Sozen's only child into the world? Or the boy's name? As the coming chapters are revealed, you're going to see that the father, along with the son are anything but peaceful. And it all starts with the next chapter, the clouds have come, and with it, an approaching storm!**_

_**Time for reader review answers: **_

_**lightbird: Thank you for your praise. I try hard to please. I had always wondered what went on in Sozen's mind and so this is why I had to write this story.**_

_**Hotspur: Lol of course you are free to say that you love this story. Like I told lightbird there was just something bothering me about how Sozen came to power. I knew I could go the spoiled brat route, or a military coup route, but I thought that this was much more interesting to do it this way. I'm glad to hear that you believe the politics are complex, I wasn't one who thought I could write them. Sorry to tell this, but now that there is war approaching there ARE going to some ships. Can't have countries divided by water and war without ships. Of course they're not going to play a predominant role in this story. Again thanks for the praise!**_

_**distant6: Thank you, hopefully you like these chapters too!**_

_**whirleeq: Thank you, I'm so glad to have written an interesting story. I don't know how but the backgrounds seem to just pop in my head, as if I was really there, and I just had to write them. I'm a firm follower of if you can see it and taste it, and hear it, and feel it, while you write it, then you've done a good job.**_

**_Spleef: Thank you so much! Now that it's getting darker, it should be even more interesting._**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Ziggy's Corner: Chapter Five: Darkness is here, shadows are upon us, and the storm is getting closer to being unleashed. Poor Aang's world is about to be torn asunder by war. This chapter takes place two years after chapter four ends. Enjoy, because this is the last you will see of the good, honest, and decent king that Sozen has been until the very end of our little story.**_

Night had come to the Fire Nation, and not a very peaceful one at that. In the distance there were sounds of skirmishes between the Fire Nation's beach fronts, and the Earth Nation's kingdom's untied fleets. It was not exactly war in the true nature of the word, but the menace itself was ever present, ever growing, and was the talk of every city, town, and village of the nation.

Sozen stroked his chin as he stood on the balcony as he watched the multi-colored flares rise in the sky and explode in awesome sounds that were much louder than thunder. His wife lay in her bed, her face flushed with a fever that she was suffering from for over six months. He looked at her and sighed. Politics had taken its toll on both of them and with these attacks taking place to rid themselves of the blockade; it was also taking Sozen away from both his wife and his two year old son Kaori.

He walked into the bedroom, and dropped onto a chair, studying his wife as she labored to breathe. Many mystics and healers had come to help, but not one of them could fix whatever was making Jenai ill. What was more, no one seemed to understand how she had gotten sick to begin with, and that had made the young king very paranoid.

Sozen created a court to judge those who he considered enemies, and nothing else. Because he had done away with appeals long ago, at the start of his reign, those that were found guilty were more or less given a death sentence the minute the paper was handed over to the judge.

There were no more parades, no more gaiety in the government, although his popularity was still pretty much at a high rate, it was slowly slipping away. Sozen scowled, his bright orange eyes glowing in the light of the fireplace in their room and he sighed.

"What I would give to spend one minute of discussion with you, without seeing you like this," he said, his back turned to his wife. He half expected, half hoped for her to answer him, but she had lost the ability to speak a few weeks ago. Her last words were to tell her husband that she loved him, and he had been so busy with planning an assault to get rid of the enemy ships, he had barely taken time to acknowledge it.

He cracked his knuckles, hunched over in his chair as he listened to her gasp, tears coming from his eyes. Why had this happened? Because I don't believe in the Avatar, because I dared to dream of a better world, where people didn't need to rely on the superstitious beliefs of the organized religion? Is that why fate seems fit to have cursed me? He scowled and spit in the flames of the fireplace. Well then fate can go to the underworld with the Avatar. There was only one thing in this world that mattered, and that was justice, and justice could only be accomplished by control, by power!

It almost made him leap out of the chair as he thought about that statement. Hadn't he told that old Fire Sage that he had no intention of grabbing onto power? The Fire Lord batted his head back and forth and held his hands in it. No, power was a corrupter, he didn't need power, he just needed what control he had, and the love of his family.

A knock on the door dashed him out of his thoughts and he opened it quickly. His prime minister stood looking at the king. "Sire, the men have been forced off the beach; it doesn't look like the Earth Nation armies are going to take advantage and begin an invasion, but the men need direction."

"That's why they have generals for," the king snapped. He stopped and listened to the sounds of the night, sighing inwardly as it became all too quiet.

"They're not listening to the generals, sire, the men are so panicked that I'm afraid the Earth Nation might actually take advantage, and start a land invasion.

"This is ridiculous," Sozen roared. He looked over at his wife, his eyes turning misty as he stared. He'd promised himself that this would be the night he was with her, there for her in case there would be any type of breakthrough. "Have the generals threaten death to those who run," the king snarled.

The prime minister stood there, his eyes wide with shock, and he shook his head. "Your Highness, please, we're treading on thin water as it is, doing such a thing might bring a military coup. You could lose your throne."

"Do you think I care about that?" Sozen roared, pounding his fist into a table. "I want to be left alone with my wife, and no not a maid or other type of servant in my place; I want to be here for her myself!"

The fire had started to go out in the fireplace as the two of them stared at each other for a long time. The prime minister had seen this temper of Sozen's more and more often now that Jenai lay sick in bed, but he'd never seen it this worse.

"Fire Lord Sozen, Your Highness, I understand your grief sire, but think of the consequences. What will happen to the people under a military rule, or under Gai's rule with the Earth Nation. Think of the chaos that could ensue."

Sozen dropped to his knees, his hands clutching his chest. His head turned from the prime minister to his wife and back and forth, his lips quivering. He was being torn between his family and his duty to sustain peace and order in the world.

"Very well, tell my generals I will be with them in the next hour, but it will not be a long speech, I do not want to take too much time away from the queen."

"Yes, Your Highness," the other man said, bowing sympathetically to his king and walking away.

Sozen spent the next forty minutes by his wife's bed side, stroking her hot cheeks and staring at her with the worshipful gaze of a boy looking at a famous actress he had a massive crush on. "Be well beloved," he groaned.

He took a few minutes to look into the room of his son, Kaori, the tiny miniature of his mother, with the exception of Sozen's powerful glaring eyes, and stubbornness, and sighed. "Bell well my son."

"And this is why you must be diligent in your fight, in having nerves of steel, and a resolve as hot as any of our volcanoes," Sozen said, finishing his speech to his forces. "The Earth Nation Kingdoms and the treasonous Gai must not be allowed to attack our forces, endanger our way of life, or trample on our beloved ones. For their sake, not for yours, or your king, must you be stronger than the gods." He stared into the dark field, the night covering everything in shadows, and then grinned with relief as the men before him shouted with jubilation and renewed hope.

It had taken him longer than he wanted; the generals were in an uproar, the men screaming like children. Three thousand of them had been killed, and there were only one hundred and twenty left. That wasn't much of a loss, but it had been the senior members in the field that had died, leaving the freshmen to deal with the battle. He didn't want to listen to his generals' cries and pleas for a draft, but things were looking bleak.

"I'm sorry, but I can't _force_ our people to stand up against this weight," he said, shaking his head.

"You have no problems forcing them do to a lot worse than that, now a days," one of them grumbled under his breathe. He shivered as his king glared at him with frozen eyes. "Your Lordship, I . . .," the man was dead before he could say another word, none more shocked than Sozen himself, fist smothering in hot flames.

"I-I apologize for that, gentlemen," he said, his legs shaking as he stammered to get to his feet. "I have no words that can justify what I have done here tonight, but," fear rushed through his body, fear of losing his throne, of losing his chance to correct a "corrupted" religion's reign over a world in darkness. "For the good of our people, this must remain a secret," he said. His eyes glazed over and he looked down at the men he had just been sitting next to, most of whom had gone to the academy with him. "He was, killed in action, and will be given a hero's burial."

"Your Lordship?" one of them asked, not daring to take it any further.

"He died leading our men into combat in the defense of our glorious country against the villainous Earth Nation." Sozen tried to swallow many times, and found it hard, sweat poured down his forehead, his heart pounded against his chest, and he could not stop backing away from the war table. The _war _table, war, what an evil word if there were was one, but at the same time, what a delicious, intoxicating flavor that evil was.

"Fire Lord Sozen, are you feeling all right?" another of his generals asked.

"I'm fine," came a high pitched voice. "Now if you don't mind, I intend to visit my wife."

Karma had struck yet again. His skin was pale as he stared at the bed, empty of any life, no signs anyone had even laid there just hours ago. "Say again?" the king asked.

"Your lordship, the queen died just shortly after you left, I am very sorry." The prime minister took a step back from the other man and lowered his head. "She will be completely missed."

His chest rose and fell and he looked at the minister, his eyes turning dark as he stared. His lips trembled and he began clutching his fingers. "She was poisoned, wasn't she?" he asked. It was not his voice; it was oily, crusty, and echoed through the halls. Sozen stalked toward the minister, his gaze turning to one of predatory anger. "You did this, didn't you?"

"S-sire?" the other man walked away, gulping on air.

"You didn't want me to be around her, you were jealous." His chest rose and fell more and more rapidly and his skin was turning bright red, redder than flames. "You and all those bureaucrats who claimed to help me with the people, all you cared about your jobs." He began drooling, and he growled like an artic panther. "You, you filthy bureaucrats are nothing but scum, allies to the Earth Nation."

His fists glowed with flames and he lurched forward, incinerating the prime minister as neatly as he did with the general who dared snip against him. Oddly the clouds seemed to drift from the sky as the other man died, and caught the mad king's attention. He frowned, ignoring the corpse, and slinked toward the balcony, his heart aching for the arms of his wife, his mind dissipating in jumbles of worries and concerns. How would he explain this? And what if war would break out in its entirety? If fate was kind, if it wanted to prove that it still cared of this man who only wanted to make the world a better place, then it would allow him a sign.

And there, in the dead of night, glowing brightly with orange and red flames, streaking through space, like it was possessed by his dead wife's spirit and racing towards his arms yet again, there was the sign. It was a huge massive comet; that though millions of miles in space -- was still radiating heat down on the surface of the planet. Its brilliance sparked a dark light in Sozen's eyes. Its rays were like shadowy keys that unlocked a door in his soul that he had no idea even existed. At last, a moment of power, at last revelation that he knew he could not ignore. It was as if the comet was singing to him, like a siren leading him not to the rocks, but to his destiny.

He stretched his hands out to it, letting its heat stroke his skin, letting it warm him. His muscles tighten, his power increased, and he knew without a doubt that power was the answer to his question, that it indeed would help him to pass judgment on the world for its sins against him. There was a momentary pause, power was the answer? The world has sinned against him? What about order, about his people, the reasons he had taken the throne from Gai? Then he smiled savagely, and pushed the weaker part of his mind into the shadows. From now on, the future belonged to strength, to rage, to vengeance.

**_I warned you, it was getting darker. And now the storm is here. All out war breaks out next chapter, stay tuned. Because I don't have direct access to the Internet, the next chapters will come our around November/December, unless something unexpected and unfortunate happens. See you then!_**


	6. Chapter 6

**_Ziggy's Corner: Okay, by my count, 14 reviews, not as good as my romances, but at least I have reviews for this story, and quite a few of them, so I can say it's a hit. The next two chapters happen just weeks of the last chapter's end (chapter five), but a lot of things have changed. The war is in full swing, the Earth Kingdom blockade is no more, and the Fire Nation is on the move!_** **_So let's just jump right into the action and see what we can. Enjoy! Oh, and Hotspur, just to let you know, there are ships in the opening scene. Lol. Sorry, had to do it folks. Okay NOW on with the story!_**

Sozen stood on the deck of his massive warship, _The Shining Glory_, his hands holding binoculars as his men pulled back the monstrous cannons, reloaded, and fired again. The sound of thunder, and smell of gun powder comforted him, more than he had ever thought it would. He smiled and watched two smaller Earth Kingdom ships slowly sink into the black thunderous waves as his men cheered.

The Battle of Tara Gulf was coming to an end. It had lasted for sixteen hours, most of which had seen fifteen thousand ships sunk in that span of time, as the Fire Nation's quicker, more lethal frigates had routed the Earth Kingdom's battleships toward the beach, and glued them there, slamming them into the depths of the water at leisure. This was one of the last steps that Sozen meant to take before the invasion of the enemy country itself. Without these ships, guarding the Earth Kingdoms, it would be easy to overtake the northern and eastern areas of the land, before his cousin and his forces could mount a counterstrike.

Sozen breathed in the salt air that was mixed with blood, and the bodies of both allies and enemies alike. He smiled and felt the power of the comet rush through his veins, strengthening his body, and sharpening his mind, further pushing the weaker part of his conscious that was rebelling against this brutality into oblivion. The Fire Lord paced back and forth on the deck, watching his men, watching them do their duty, moving as in unison, as if they were not many, but one, an extension of his will.

And so it had been for the last number of weeks that had passed since the comet left. Those strong enough to accept the will of the comet had flocked to him, and were filled with his intensions of bringing peace and order, power and glory to the Fire Nation. Soon his army swelled from five thousand, to two hundred thousand strong. His fleet swelled from one hundred ships to an armada of ten thousand. His arm stretched out toward the west right now, toward the Earth Kingdom and its various kingdoms, but as the weeks passed, he heard of more protests from around the globe, from the other two nations.

The air benders and their precious "avatar" would feel his wrath, just for the sake of their fanaticism. There were water warriors, who were volunteering their services to his cause, but there were many, many more who were opposing him, and some of them were offering their ships to the Earth Kingdom.

They would fall as well. After all, there was no sense in crushing the air benders, only to have so called "hope" reincarnated into the water cycle. Once the water nation was crushed, and with no Earth Nation existing, _if_ there was truth to the avatar story, he or she would have no choice but to be reincarnated into the Fire cycle, and thus would be brought up with Sozen's ideals. He smiled, the avatar, his own personal attack dog! And if for some reason he had broken the cycle by this action, he wouldn't have to put up with a stray dog nipping at his heels.

"Admiral," he roared. A short, portly man wobbled up the stairs and looked straight into the eyes of the Fire Lord.

"Sire?" he asked, his voice thick and gooey, as if he had a mouth full of fudge.

"Have the crew turn the ships toward the eastern area of the island, and help our flank there."

"Sire, not to question your wisdom, but the only thing left of the enemy fortifications there, is an Earth Sage temple," the other man said. He looked at his king and backed away fearfully. "Your majesty, it's being used as a hospital, for the sick and wounded," he tried to justify.

"So that they're forces can gain their strength back? So our own will have that much harder of a time bringing peace and ending this war? Admiral I wonder if you are truly competent, stupid, or just plain lazy." His eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms. "Or is it, that you are a traitor?"

"My lord, I . . .," he began. He did not finish his statement. Sozen picked him up by his collar and tossed the man over the ship with one movement.

"You must realize that I will not tolerate any of the above," Sozen growled, glaring down at the water, where the former admiral was now being torn to shreds by hungry lion fish. The Fire Lord ignored the cries of the other man, and turned his eyes on his crew. "You there, over there," he growled, pointing his powerful finger at a trembling sailor.

"Sire?" he asked, his voice shaking.

"What rank are you?"

"A Lieutenant, sire."

"You are the new admiral now. Congratulations on your promotion, I trust you were carry out my orders?"

The boy quaked in his boots, and gulped. "Yes sire," he said with as much courage he could muster. He turned and quickly began yelped out orders, unsure if the higher ranked men would obey a boy who just a few seconds ago was so far beneath them.

"Do as he asks, for he asks what your king demands," Sozen snapped, as he saw anger and bitterness in for the boy in his crew's eyes. "The first man I catch not obeying his orders as I give them, will face the same fate as the former admiral of this ship." He smiled, that got them jumping all over the place to listen to their new master and commander.

Sozen stalked off to his quarters, as he had done ever since leaving his kingdom for war. He latched the door closed, and bent over papers, detailing what had occurred over the hours. From time to time a new parrot would float in, drop off more notes, its eyes on the one candle near the window in his room, and would leave, to let its master read the crucial reports. The Fire Lord smiled, and flipped through the pages. All of the battle fronts were going well, and a few of his divisions had made landfall, and were setting up small encampments, reading for their fellow Fire Nation soldiers to bring in some reinforcements, as he was sure they were doing in the area he had just left. The going was slow, but he had expected that. There were a few encounters in the southern regions of the planet, with water bender peasants rebelling against his appointed governors, but nothing that seemed overwhelming threatening to his war effort. The only bad news was his invasion force of the northern water tribes. He had underestimated their strength, and the treachery of the terrain, but he had quickly made peace with them to focus his full attention on the Earth Kingdom.

In the background he could hear his men moving the ships, and the louder thunderous roar of the cannons as they approached the eastern gulf. For a peaceful temple of religion, the monks and sages were determined to protect their home and their injured. It was almost admirable… almost.

He left his quarters and returned to the call of the fighting, cannon balls, and flaming debris flying right into the temple, a hundred foot tall monolith which was made out of solid stone and volcanic ash imported from the Fire Nation. In the darkness of the night and the flashing colors of violence he could see it plainly, a hallowed shell of what it really was, and imposing in the grips of death as it had been in life. It stood despite numerous attacks volleyed their weapons at it, and his men trying to scale the thick, slippery walls.

Because their opponents were Earth benders, the very mountain wall was a living weapon. Stone hands grew out of the mountain and swatted the Fire Nation who dared climb it. Boulders fell, stone cats with claws and teeth as sharp as an eagle's talon rushed down on them, and Sozen watched as dozens of his men fell to their deaths.

"We're going about this the wrong way," Sozen muttered. "Admiral, have the men aim their weapons at the base of the temple, instead of the building itself."

The young man looked at what his king was talking about, and knew what he planned to do. They'd lose dozens more in this kind of attack, plus the loss of such a fine fortress in which to defend their new land. But to continue in the course of attack they were partaking was a fool's game.

"Yes sire," he said with a bow. He turned and barked out the order, secure in his new position of power. Those who dared question him got a fist in the first, and a renewed order. Their cannons turned, and fired at the base, joined by the other ships as word spread what the Fire Lord wanted done. The mountain groaned and whined, and rocks tumbled downward, some turning into stone spears and plunged into his ships, but Sozen continued to stare with undying interest at the work at hand.

The next day he awoke to see the temple still standing, and although it was in bits and pieces here and there, he was never the less furious. He stormed to his admiral's quarters and demanded an explanation.

"Sire, we ran out of ammo, and the men are exhausted. We believe that the enemy has evacuated the areas that show the most damage, and are planning to invade those areas, taking a foot hold in the temple itself."

"I wanted it in the sea," Sozen growled.

"I understand that sire," the admiral gasped, "but we didn't expect them to put up this much of a fight. If I could be so bold as to send a request for more ammo from the five hundred and first division?"

Sozen stared at him and scrubbed his chin. "I was under the impression that they were fighting against the southern Water Nation rebellions." He shook his head. "Even if they brought us the ammo we would need, it would be too late."

"My lord?" the boy asked.

"Order the ships to stay the course here," he said. "Then have the crew return us back to Tara Gulf, and we will join our men there on the beach. When we take enough of their villages and towns we should be able to get enough ammo for the ships to use."

"And if the Earth Nation gets wise to the fact that they can't fire on the Temple, and decide to go on the offensive?" the admiral asked.

Sozen sighed. "Have the other admirals command their ships to sail just far enough from the mountain that they are not in harms way, but close enough that they can block anyone trying to sail this way to aide the Temple."

"My lord, if I may be so bold," the admiral said swallow, "if the Air Nation decides to send their flying bison in with food and supplies…,"

"With food and clothing, maybe," Sozen growled. "But not with weapons, that I very much doubt, they're not warriors." He pounded a fist, "But until we can find where they have their hidden temples all we can do is raze a few of their small towns and cities in hopes of bringing the monks out of hiding."

"Unless we can find someone who is willing to betray his own people," the admiral thought out loud. Sozen chuckled and nodded his head.

"There's a reason why I appointed you as a new admiral, Lhau, I can see I made the right decision. Now, to my orders."

"Yes my lord," Admiral Lhau said with a nod of his head.

**_Okay this is chapter six. As you can see lots of action or scenes on the ships. Chapter seven takes the fight to the land, and only takes place a few days after this ends. If you wonder the wisdom of leaving ships to blockade an enemy without ammo, please remember, these are fire benders, so they can use the elements as their weapons. Also only their ships were without the massive artillery, not their land forces. _**

_**Hotspur: So what did you think of this? I think I can probably safely call you the number one fan of this story. Pumps fist, YAY I have lots of number one fans now! I think I can also call you an ultra fan, as you have reviewed all but A MidWinter's Romance (if you've reviewed that I can't seem to find you) and The Fire Hunt (damn no one seems to want anything to do with that story, what's wrong with it?). Like all my other number one fans, you are part of a pantheon, and thus answer to the top dog, TheShoelessOne, but as A number one fan, you get to smite anyone's crop and fields who disses any of my stories that you enjoy, LOL. Anyway, thanks for the praise. To answer your question from chapter 4, Sozen's mistrust of bureaucracy helped him decide to run the country totally on his own, and as you can see, the stress was not very good for him. His lacky council get's the job a few chapters later, as the war rages on. Again, thank you for your kind words. By the way, are you a guy or a girl? You don't have to answer, but when I got your very first review, it seemed like you were a guy, but now I get the feeling some reason that you might be a girl. Sorry if I was/am wrong either way. Again, thanks for the praise.**_

_**lightbird: Thank you kindly. I am shocked that I seem to be the only one to have thought of this as a subject to write a story on, but who knows, it might be popular a few months or a year or two later. I see Sozen as a victim, much like George Lucas thought of Darth Vader as. Some one you shake your head sadly at and say, "Poor guy" and at the same time someone you shake your finger at and ask, "What the hell are you doing?" And the coming chapters only find him further down the road of insanity. Thanks for the kind words, and hopefully you enjoyed these chapters too.**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Ziggy's Corner: Okay, chapter seven, here we go! 15 reviews now, KOOL!**_

A few days after the Battle of Tara Gulf Sozen marched forward with his men, taking and burning the first of many villages in their way. None of them had any kind of materials needed to aide their ships at sea, and the food they took wasn't very good either. The Fire Lord began to understand why this nation was so interested in the events of his own country.

"My lord," a captain shouted, riding up next to him on his wolsh, a large, gray canine like animal used as a mount by the Fire Nation. "Sire, the advance units you sent yesterday report a major city just a few miles from here. They say it's heavily guarded, and that most of the citizens have been asked to leave by General Gai, but the prize is worth trying to pluck."

"How many units are on this land already?" Sozen snapped.

"About six hundred men so far, sire," he said. "We're expecting the forty third to arrive within two days though," he said, wanting to shift his weight, but knowing it would throw his mount into a fit.

Sozen thought carefully. The forty third division was fresh, and full of raw recruits, but they were recruits that numbered four times what he already had at his disposal. And no doubt that Gai had at least five thousand men at his disposal. "This city, are there any mountains or hills around it?"

"Not from what we have heard, sire," but there is a ford just east of it, one that makes for a good defensive position." The captain watched the men march passed and pulled out his papers, studying them. "Lieutenant Rajak has some artillery he could place by this area here," he said, running his finger along a medium sized part of the river. "I've also taken the liberty of commanding Sergeant Iswara's cavalry unit to take this small forest, just southeast of the city, and wait for my signal."

"That won't be enough," Sozen said. He studied the map and stroked his chin. "I want the second and third divisions here," he pointed to an area, "and have Major Makara bring up her artillery units over here, on the other side."

"My lord; that piece of land is not easily defensible," the captain said frowning.

"My cousin is not just going to send out his force to fight us," Sozen snapped. "We have to do something to make him come out, or bring out a small fraction of his force so we can take them out easier. Otherwise he'll bring in more soldiers, and we will never take that city." He looked at the map again, "This prize is too important to ruin with constant gun fire. We need it as intact as we can possibly get it."

"Yes my lord," he said with a nod. "I'll see to your instructions with the utmost haste." He left, and Sozen was yet alone once more. The dark king's eyes scanned the landscape, at the beautiful trees decorated with olive green leaves, a fresh sent of pine filled the air, and animals peeked around from their boroughs and holes to look at these newcomers to the land. The rivers were fresh and the water sweet to the taste. But Sozen could not see any of this. His hatred and lust for power, for land, and more subjects to enforce his view of what world peace was.

His army moved forward like a massive destructive serpent, until they had reached the city. He smiled as he looked at it. It was just as his agents had said. It was the largest city he had come across yet. Dozens of factories just for the ripe for the taking, factories that could easily be made to create new weapons and ammunition for his fleet on the east coast. The buildings were made of stone and granite, but had a light yellow haze to them. Their windows were light blue and frosted, pushed far back from the walls, so that no one could properly see into them. Sozen smiled.

"Captain," he roared. The captain road up to him, and he saluted. "I want you to have a message sent down to our ships in the southern coast. Have them travel back to the Fire Nation, and bring in some reinforcements. I want this city at all costs. Once we take it, we'll cement our holding in this land forever."

"Yes my lord," he nodded. Once his captain road off, and made preparations for the news to be."

Another officer road up to the king and saluted. "Sire, would you like to send a message to General Gai, issuing surrender?"

"Try," he chuckled, "I doubt that he will agree, but if it makes the men more secure in that knowledge that we tried a peaceful solution, then I give you permission." The other man nodded and road off, and Sozen stroked his chin, resting on a log.

He knew that there was no way Gai would agree to surrender, especially since his force was so very minute compared to his cousin's. But this was an encounter he had long dreamed of, and no doubt Gai had dreamed of for a very long time. It would not have surprised him for Gai to have attacked at once, had this city not needed guarding. Sozen frowned, his cousin had forced his hand yet again, had forced him to go on the offensive, while he sat in his mansion, all nice and cozy, waiting and preparing for the onslaught.

The weeks that followed saw more and more men on both sides huddle around the city, and there was no doubt in anyone's mind, that this would truly be the first major land based battle of the war. In the city, called Bhisma, there were over thirty thousand men, waiting for the attack to take place, while outside, Sozen had rallied over twenty-five thousand of his best troops. It was make or break time for the Fire Lord. Should he lose this fight, he would lose one fourth of his fighting corps, and the best of the best at that. It would take years for him to recoup from a loss like that, and could swing the pendulum to crush his country to ribbons. Should he win, it would be a major loss for his enemies, but no so major that they could not rally back from it. However; their faith in Gai would be gone, and his cousin would not be able to rally from it so quickly.

There were a few minor encounters, just as he thought. Gai had sent some troops to take the land Major Makara had occupied, and were dashed as her artillery and some cavalry units had pushed them back, but not without losses of their own. At one point Gai sent out a large chunk of his army, and forced his cousin to flee for a smaller village, until reinforcements could come. Why he hadn't been wise enough to push the offensive, Sozen did not know, but he wasn't about to split hairs. Gai's foolishness would end up giving Sozen Bhisma on a silver platter.

Around the globe the conflict spread. The southern water tribes were in absolute arms against his forces, and the Earth Nation's navy and his own vied for smaller islands between their respective nations. The Air Nation had decided to use what they could to help in the Water Nation's defense, but either could not, nor would not aide in the Earth Kingdom's case.

And there was news about the home front. Without their king, the people turned toward the bureaucrats for rule, and Sozen had been forced to return, just for a week to deal with that problem. He set up a temporary citizen's government, lead by shadow puppets who would answer only to him, and returned to the front with fifteen thousand troops, ready for combat.

On the eastern front, the Earth Sages allied with a few Water Nation ships crushed his blockade, and were now rebuilding the temple, much to his dismay. His men had fought diligently, but not carefully enough, and so his fleet was dealt a heavy blow. He was determined to make those responsible pay for that loss.

"My lord," his captain said, rushing up to him, his breathe hard and labored, his eyes dilated. "My lord, it has begun."

Sozen opened his mouth to ask exactly what had begun, when he could hear men and women cry, and hear the blast of hundreds of flames heading toward the city. "Who authorized this?" the Fire Lord snapped. "We weren't supposed to attack for another week in a half!"

"I know my lord, but some of the men became restless over the night, as they claimed the saw a large attachment enter the city from the rear, and then a few hours ago, they claimed they could see movement, as if the defending army was beginning an attack of their own." He swallowed and looked away from his king's angry glare. "The officers tried their best to stop them, but the soldiers began firing at the city, and then your cousin ordered his own men to attack."

Sozen swore and looked at the battlefield. He hadn't wanted the battle like this, but that could not be helped. It was here, and he was now needed. "Get my mount," he said.

The battlefield was covered with bodies, blood oozing into the ground at a rapid rate. In one minute, there were over eight thousand casualties combined from both sides. Sozen continued to fight, watching his forces take some ground, and lose it. A glimmer of movement caught his eye, and he turned and smiled as he saw his cousin slamming flames at his own countrymen and women. Sozen turned his mount and clenched his broadsword tight, his heart matching his stead's hoof beats. He slashed Earth Nation soldier left and right, each second bringing him closer to his enemy, to Gai. His blade shone with dark energy, its dark orange metal gleaming in the sun's light. His cousin turned and looked, and side flipped out of Sozen's way, knocking him off his stead with a blast of hot air.

Sozen landed, listening to the cries of the angry and injured, and kept his glance at his cousin. "So, it all comes down to this," he growled.

"You talk about me like I'm the lord of Bosing Se," Gai sneered as he held a massive weapon of dark red violet. "I'm flattered."

"Someone of your ego always is," Sozen snarled. The two charged at each other, and metal smashed against metal, sending sparks flying from one end of the field to the other. Back and forth they weaved, parrying and countering each other's attacks, testing for strengths and weaknesses. "Fancy blade, you friend, the Earth Lord have it made for you?"

"Always jealous of things bigger than yours, aren't we?" Gai cackled. "I hear things are falling apart in your kingdom, that people are starting to call for reform, for a new king," he smiled and lowered his head, "or the return of an old one."

"You my dear cousin are as deluded now, as you were stupid when you borrowed my throne for a time," Sozen said. He twirled in the air and flung his blade behind his shoulder, catching his cousin's no-dashi blade. It was three feet longer than his own, and weighed a good ten pounds more than his, but it wasn't meant for a long sword fight, that was to Sozen's good fortune. Gai's sword was more for hacking and slashing than stabbing or running through an opponent. True he could use it to keep Sozen farther at bay than Sozen could with him, but all he had to do was look for an opening, and Gai would be dead.

Sozen had another advantage to this fight. His blade was a one handed sword, while his cousin's was a two handed blade. This could allow him to pull out a knife, or use his free hand for Fire Bending, if he wanted to. He smiled and rushed forward, swinging with his blade, and connecting with flesh as he caught Gai's wrist. His cousin screamed in pain, and dropped the blade, but not before he caught his cousin's cheek with it, and dropped Sozen.

The two armies seemed oblivious at first to their leaders, until a dud cannon ball landed near their bodies. At once fighting ceased, and shocked and horrified eyes fell on the two bodies. No one seemed to know what to do, and in that instant, the Earth Benders rushed for the safety of their city, a unit of their own cavalry raced by and scooped up Gai off the ground, and disappeared into the fortress city, into safety.

The Fire Nation soldiers looked at their fallen king, and felt panic rise in their chests. Every inch of their fiber told them to run, to head back to the ships, to flee to the safety of their homes, but a cry echoed through the sky that held them in place.

"We will not fly this day, though we retreat," it said in a gurgled tone. "Take the injured back to the village, and tend to their wounds. Then we will come back and make the Earth Nation suffer for their insolence; that is your king's promise."

They looked at the crumbled form of their king and blinked. It looked as if he was dead, but they understood that he was simply stunned, and perhaps severely injured. But he was alive, and if he was alive then so was his will, and if he meant to stay and fight, then so would they.

The captain rushed to his liege and carefully turned him on his back. His eyes grew wide. "My lord," he muttered.

Sozen looked up at him, blood flowing into his right eye, his face cut nearly in half, and he scowled. "We will never retreat," he groaned, his eyes full of hate. "Is that clear, captain. Even if the entire population of the Fire Nation has to invade to take justice for the day, we will never retreat. We will smash our enemies even if it takes us a thousand years!"

_**Okay, that's chapter seven. Chapter eight takes place five years after this, and Sozen decides its time to turn his deadly gaze on the Air Nation. The Air Benders are about to be betrayed, and their darkest hour is quickly arriving. Okay, reviewer time!**_

**_1225491: Thank you for your very kind words! I'm glad you are enjoying this work so far, and I hope you enjoy these chapters as well. _**

**_These chapters will probably be submitted a little after Christmas Day, but I hope to have it in before the 6th of January, as that is one day after the Christmas season actually ends. December 25-January 5, the twelve days of Christmas, it was actually celebrated like that in medieval times, a tasty tidbit for you trivia fans. _**

Okay I just wanted you all to know that I had gotten a cold earlier this month, and now my monitor is really nasty, it looks like it is going to fall right off, and the computer repair guy simply made things worse. I'll try to update as soon as possible, maybe in May, but do not hold me to that, as my time is not my own in updates. I just promise to do the best that I can.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Ziggy's Corner: Chapter 8! The Air Nomads are about to be betrayed, and things go very badly. Sozen's hatred is taking over him, his humanity falling into the shadows. I have a new computer, but lost a lot of my files, so I can not remember what I said last, during the time line. So we'll say that eight years as past. Okay, here we go! **_

The war had been fought for so long now. Half of the north central continent of the Earth Kingdom was in the hand of the Fire Nation. What had been brought to defeat for so very long in the early stages, was now showing signs of glory. There were constant parades, people coming out in droves to cheer their king, and the military force that he had built. Sozen stood over all of them a quasi god glaring down on the mere mortals who looked to his will as law.

Everything he had wanted since the beginning of the war was in his hands now, everything but one thing. Somewhere out there, were the Air Nomads, and that meant somewhere out there, was the "avatar" as well. For a long time the Fire Lord had believed that the cycle had been broken, the people's faith shattered, the old religion crushed. Prayers in the Fire Nation, if indeed there were any prayers said at all anymore, were no longer directed to a superstitious figurehead, but rather toward one that held obvious power. Then rumors had arisen that the avatar was still alive, or had at least disappeared from his home, a small boy that was twelve years old, that was eight years ago. If he existed, he would be around twenty years old, ten years older than his own son, Kaori. A boy named after peace, and was anything but peaceful.

At the age of five, Sozen sent the boy to train at the newly formed Royal Academy. He excelled at most of the subjects, simply because his father willed him to be greatness. He was ignored numerous times for a lot of what Sozen considered trivial matters, and because of this, he ordered the boy's wills and whims to be answered without question, if nothing else to quiet his constant demanding for attention.

Sozen spent many months, studying the maps, leaving the attentions of the battlefields to his capable commanders, generals, and admirals, all of whom he had hand picked to serve his interests. As his interest in the whereabouts of the avatar grow, so did his interest in running the government, and he hand picked loyal men and women to run it for him, acknowledging he had final authority over anything that was brought up. It was a bureaucracy he intended to allow alive, but only on a very short collar.

"Commander," he barked.

A tall, thin man scurried in and blinked. "Sire?"

"Are you sure that all these areas in red have been carefully cheeked?" he asked, pointing to the red areas in his map.

"Sire, I assure you, all places you ordered to check are and have been checked," the commander said with a sigh. "We've interrogated the prisoners, gone though every scroll that we could find, we've done everything humanly possible."

"Not enough!" he roared, pounding his fist on the table and shattering it in pieces. "We're the Fire Nation, commander, the superior element, children of the flames! The other races of our world are as close to 'humans' as the wild beasts in the fields are as close to them." He inched closer to the other man, his eyes bloodshot for lack of sleep, his breath reeking of week old meat and sour bread. His beard on closer observation was tattered slightly, and there was some dried spittle in it.

"Sire…," the man began slowly.

"I am the savior of this world!" his king bellowed, his arms waving about as if they had minds of their own. "How can you expect me to save it, to bring it to an era of peace, if you refuse to aid me in the last effort, of crushing our most dangerous enemies?"

"My lord, if I may be so bold," he sighed, "That Air Nomads aren't going to wage war against us. They've had many chances to do so, and haven't yet."

"And that makes sense that they never will then, I suppose," Sozen growled, flames building from his thick body. He eyed the other man very seriously and tapped an impatient foot.

"Your Highness," the commander said, and it was all he managed to say. Sozen grabbed his throat, and tossed him into the wall, where he was impaled by a sword that hung there. Sozen felt the blood splash against his face, and quivered with anger and hate. It wasn't enough for him. Sozen grabbed another blade from the wall and hacked, screeching at the top of his lungs as he cut flesh, bathed in blood. Arms, legs, and guts flew everywhere, and still Sozen slashed and cut, using his free hand to tear out vital organs that no longer worked, from the other man's dead body.

"I will no tolerate cowardly actions, or laziness in my ranks," Sozen howled at the disemboweled body. "I most certainly will _not_!" Tears streaked down his cheeks, covered with the commander's blood as he stared at his work, and he caught his breathe.

"What have I done?" he asked in a low voice. _He was a traitor, a coward who couldn't see your brilliance. _It wasn't the first time he had killed one of his officers in rage. In fact, it had happened more and more often. "But he was only trying …," he whispered. _You can't be allowed to be swayed by those who are beneath you. _More and more often his own words when chastising himself, came in the tone of his younger self, while those mental thoughts of pure hate seemed to come from something no where near human. _Give in to doubt, convince yourself you murdered someone of equal status to yourself, and you can give up your throne and let chaos reign. _He licked his lips and straightened himself regally.

He turned and looked right into the face of his son, who stood blankly, craning his neck to see the carnage and then back at his father. Sozen tried to explain, breaking into a sweat, but the boy waved him off dismissively. "He was garbage, waste, just like the others," he said icily. Kaori wasn't always like this, but after listening to his father rant over and over, soon began to accept this attitude.

"Son," Sozen said, raising an eyebrow, never really sure, or not ready to admit, where the boy got this kind of attitude. His human features returned, and the weight of the world seemed to be lifted for a moment.

"You have visitors," the boy said calmly, and turned to leave. "They're in the throne room."

Sozen blinked and shook his head. "A visitor?"

"They says they know about the Air Nomads and that they can help you find them," the boy said dully. "Oh, I also need a raise in my allowance, there's a sword I've had my eye on."

"Another sword," Sozen sighed. "I've had the best crafters make you any numbers of swords."

"Not befitting a prince of the most powerful nation," the boy said with a low growl. "Sooner or later if the war continues I'll be going to the front lines, and my men are going to need something to inspire them to victory."

The Fire Lord agitatedly handed the boy the money, his heart racing. Somebody the whereabouts of the Air Nomads! Somebody knew something about them. It might be a false alarm, another execution in the making, but he could not take that chance. The capture of the avatar, and extermination of the Air Nomads would cement his victory in this war. Sozen hurried to his throne chamber, and sat in his throne, to face the elderly man dressed as an Air Nomad Monk, and a woman … if he could indeed call her that.

She was of average height, with long white hair, and blazing red eyes. She wore a long white robe, that matched her locks, and even her face, as she was the palest thing he had ever seen before in his life. Indeed, her skin was whiter than even the Americans, it was as if her whole body was a death mask, without the mask. Her skin was also full of tattoos, either inked, or carved into her skin with a blade. Face, arms, wrists, legs, they were all inked and carved up, so that she looked as if she was a master air bender. She smiled at him with light blue, razor thin lips and bowed in courtesy. "I am pleased to see you, your majesty." Her voice grit on his nerves, though it was somewhat alluring in a dangerous way. It was soft, almost beyond human hearing, and had a hollow lisp to it as she spoke the "s" and "ch" sounds. Like a snake, hissing. It was full of shadows, and dark flames, and an icy chill crept up his back.

He was old, but had such bitterness in his eyes, that he looked older still. He carried a staff, but Sozen didn't doubt the man didn't really need it. Like the Fire Lord, he seemed a little on edge around the woman.

"You have some kind of information about the Air Nomads for me?" he said.

She smiled and nodded. "I do," her laugh sounded like an engine on one of his metal ships had spread a leak. "How would you like to know where the temples are, where they live?"

"And how do you know this?" the Fire Lord asked.

"As you can plainly see," the man, called Afiko, said, "I am one of their number." He smirked and used his skills to prove it. A show off, but the man clearly knew how to bend air, and his dress and style and manner clearly proved that he was who he said he was. As to the woman, she cocked a head and blinked.

"Look at me Your Highness," spreading her arms across so he could study her. "These markings are from the Nomads. It means I'm a master air bender."

"From what I knew, the markings are completely tattooed, and not so … thoroughly," Sozen spoke with very slow words, his eyes unable to remove themselves from staring at her. She laughed again, and he cringed.

"We don't cut our markings in our skin with a knife," Afiko said sourly, and flinched as she looked at him.

"You've caught me, I mostly etched them into my skin, the superstitious fools at the temples feared the color of my skin as a curse, and banished me from their lands," her dark flaming eyes twitched violently, again she stared at Afiko, and again he twitched, turning his eyes from her. She twisted her hands a little and summoned a large gust of wind. "However, I knew it was my destiny to learn air bending, to be the greatest air bender ever." She smiled, her canines carved into shaper fangs than what they should have been.

"So you would betray them for vengeance?" Sozen asked, raising his eyebrow. There was no doubt of who _she_ was now. He'd seen fancy parlor tricks to convince people that a person had been an Air Nomad, he'd seen fancy markings like what this woman wore too, to further the illusion, but the power she wielded was not fake. It could only be taught by the Monks and Nuns, or by studying them, which meant either she had been raised for a while by them and thrown out because of her skin, or she had stumbled on the temples and watched and learned from a distance. Either way, she knew where the temples were.

Afiko was arrogant, and proud of his power, convinced that he too was called to greater greatness than what he really was given. No doubt he wanted revenge, as much as he wanted power.

"That, as well as if they die, I will be the only air bender remaining, thus the most powerful one," she said with a thin smile. Shadows seemed to dance and leap as if obeying their master's whim as she stood there, her eyes full of flame and venom, and he swore that he could almost see the souls of tortured people wail within her eyes.

The Air Monk glared at her, his chest rising and falling as if he had been slapped in his face. "So sure you are, that your strength is the greatest?" Sozen knew right then and there that they had not come to his palace together. The woman glared at him, and this time the old man kept the other's eyes match for match.

"How will I get my men to the temples?" he asked. "We can't exactly fly."

"No, but my bison is strong, and I intend to lead the attack," she saw him frown, and shrugged. "Make the revenge sweeter if I do so." Afiko had acknowledged he had smaller bison that the Fire Nation could use, and also wanted to aide in the attack.

"How do I know you won't betray me?" he snapped.

"You don't, but this is your best chance," she said with a guffaw. She bent her head to the side. "I can lead them in a month, just need the proper provisions, money, and armor."

He sat forward. "Armor?"

"I've made some blue prints as to what I'd like it to look like," she said with a low chuckle.

He looked down at the prints and nodded. It matched her, animalistic, the fingers and toes were curled and clawed, the helmet would hide her face with the exception of her eyes, a mixture of both wolf like and predatory bird. "Very well," he said. "But tell me, your name… what is it?"

Her smile grew as evil as her appearance. "My name." She stopped to think. "My name is as cursed as the Air Nomads claim I am. I was named … Daeva."

"Demon," Afiko thought out loud, translating the name. She nodded.

"My bison's name is Ahriman, a name which is supposed to mean, 'evil', 'nightmare', 'accursed one', take your pick. He was throne out of his herd for being so large, and his whole darker than the night."

"Yes, I've heard of him, and you…," Afiko nodded. He turned to the Fire Lord. "She is a legend, a dark one, but a legend nevertheless, in the ranks of our people." He hated to admit it, but she was stronger, just as Aang was supposed to be. That brat, the Avatar! It wasn't fair! His strength was unmatched by any who had come before him, he should have been the one to inherit the Avatar spirit, not this little whiner.

Something cracked in Sozen just then, and he smiled, though his inner youth recoiled at his action. "Ahriman and Daeva. The Accursed One and the Demon. It has a nice ring to it."

"Just one last thing to add, I think," she hissed. He waited for her to talk, and then she lowered her head. "If I give you these temples, grant me the rank of admiral."

"If you can do as you say, then consider it done, Admiral Daeva." His eyes sparkled like newly discovered gems brought to the sunlight. "I must say, that _does_ have a much nicer ring to it." His inner youth protested. She was just the kind of villain that he had hoped to free his people from once he defeated Gai in the duel. Sozen's mind and will pushed the words away, and he grinned with animalistic glee. He looked at Afiko. "You too will be granted a high rank in my inner circle, if you can pull this attack off."

The monk jumped and smiled, his heart racing. "My lord, it would be an honor," he said with a smile.

Sozen really didn't trust the man, not much the woman either, but with their combined strength, the balance of the war could shift nicely in his favor.

_**What about Admiral Daeva? If Sozen could be thought of as Anakin Skywalker, I guess you could say, she's his Emperor Palpatine in reverse, or the snake that tempted Eve to eat the apple. She's very dangerous, deadly, and one of the creepiest villains I've made in a while. She's going to play a major role in the rest of the series, right up to the end of chapter 12 and the end of this story. I recently read about Afiko at Wikipedia, and decided to add him too. He's the one who REALLY betrays the Air Monks according to the series and the card game. But I wonder, two Air Benders, in Sozen's pocket. Male and female, could you imagine what would happen if they married and reproduced? A whole line of Air Benders in the hands of the Fire Nation, serving them! Whoa, that's a story in itself! The Dark Air Nomads! Sway Kool! **_

_**The next chapter takes place three years after this one, and sees Sozen almost at his darkest. Hope you enjoy! I also wanted to vent or discuss my thoughts of who could play these characters if they were animated into an Avatar movie, which would be cool, whether or not they went in this direction. I'd love to really know how and why the war started, and it would be amazing if it mirrored this story in some elements. Anyway, I'd like to think that Renjiro would be voiced by Patrick Stewert, young teenage/twenty something Sozen by Drake Bell, and adult, old Sozen by Christopher Lee. Gai could be voiced when young by Josh Peck, and older version by Sean Connery. Admiral Daeva I think could be best voiced by either Tara Strong, or Lacy Chabert (I believe I misspelled her last name, Eliza from Wild Thornberries). Jennifer Love Hewitt I could see playing Sozen's wife. Anyway, what do you all think? **_


	9. Chapter 9

_**Ziggy's Corner: Chapter Nine, three years have past. The Air Nomads have been just about wiped out by Admiral Daeva and Sozen's troops. Sozen now leads his men against Gai for the last time. Things have changed for the Fire Lord. His son has come of age, just around the same age his own father was at the start of the story, and whatever humanity has been kept under lock and key in his soul, is no more. Sozen is now a true villain, a monster. It is the darkest in his reign and for his people. Let's get going.**_

The Fire Lord watched as not one but numerous villages burned to the ground. The people who lived in those villages had been hauled off by his military, to make new slave labor, to create new warships, and new fortresses. The war was going his way now, that the Air Nomads had been hunted down and nearly exterminated. A few were hold up with the nuns in the Eastern Air Temple, but they were giving ground slowly to Afiko's troops. So successful was the elderly monk, that even away, his troops decimated the enemy. Which left Sozen to send the Air Bender on a special mission.

Hundreds of thousands of years, before anyone had learned the power of bending the elements, there was said to be a very powerful weapon that had devastated their world. A weapon of great fire, which myth said warped the animals, destroyed nearly ninety percent of the population, and split the continents, sinking many of them, destroying islands, eradicating cities that were supposed to be so large that one of them contained the entire population of the Fire Nation! A weapon that could turn the darkest of night to day as it exploded, and which the spirits soon after formed a glowing, massive mushroom. Why they used that energy to create a fungus, he had no idea, but the power to decimate his enemies with once simple device was too great to deny.

Afiko hadn't liked the assignment at first, feeling neglected, and shunned by his new king. But Sozen had made amends by ordering a large force of high ranking Fire Nation officers to listen to the monk, as if he was Sozen himself. A few he made sure to keep an eye on the man, so if he tried to overplay his hand, he'd regret it. Eventually the monk decided to relish the idea that he, not a Fire Bender, would be the one to help win the war, if indeed the weapon could be found, or had even existed in the first place.

But Admiral Daeva, he thought. She had been the key that he needed to unlock the winning strategy. As he suspected, certain air bender had indeed aided his enemies. With them gone, the Earth Kingdom and the Southern Water Tribe was losing more and more ground. His own men hated taking orders from the woman, most thought she was a witch, others felt that she couldn't be trusted, being an air bender herself, but she had such a talent for military skill and progress. Those who dared to speak out against the woman, felt either the sting of the sword, or the flame of Sozen's Fire Bending. His eyes were darker now that she was in his life, his force was growing more anti-human as he fought; the years draining his life, and chiseling him into more of a machine than anything that could be account for a person. Her talents were so great, he recalled her from searching for the avatar, and sent his son to do so, and brought her here to this current expedition.

This latest campaign had seen the loss of one third of his fighting force, and though it should have caused him pain, it hadn't. "General," he muttered. His aide came right over to him. "I want these next two towns raided," he snapped.

The man looked at the paper and nodded. Both of them were mainly populated by women and children, their men were off fighting in the war elsewhere. "I'll alert the troops," the general said, his voice cold and harsh. "They should fall into our hands within the next forty eight hours." He saluted, and rode off, preparing the new invasion.

Sozen smiled, no one dared question his will anymore. There was no need to kill his officers, or make examples of him as he had three years ago. Such was his victory, thus was his power. _Its because of her, you know._ The disembodied voice now seemed to sound like his younger version, rather than the inhuman creature of years past. Nowadays it was that inhuman thing's voice that came from his throat. "I don't care who its because," he muttered. "The fact is I have the power now, the power to change things." _You never meant for it to go this far._ Sozen scowled and sent the youth spiraling back into the darkness. True, there were some fears of his men about a witch, an attractive one, but a witch nonetheless, who could control the spirits. He waved off the horror stories of Malu the Ghost Witch, as mere superstition, caused by excessively drinking soldiers who should have kept watch closer.

A few hours later found him in his tent, reading the reports from the field, when Admiral Daeva slinked through and nodded her head. No salute, no knelt knee, just a bow of her head. She was his only officer he allowed to get away with such a 'disgrace'. "What brings you here admiral?"

"There's talk in the prisoner's camp of a resistance," she said, her voice still sending chills in his back even today. The helmet covered her face, engulfed it in clock shadows. Only her dark red eyes were visible.

"What of it?" Sozen growled, knocking a goblet off of the table.

"They're talking about meeting up with your cousin, whose apparently raising an army of great size," she said softly, her voice growing lower. The tent seemed to shrink as they stared at each other, browns and red meshing as night was falling upon them. There was no sound, no motion, only the smell of burnt hay, brick, and flesh in the air. "That's all we know. I request certain measures being taken to find out the rest."

He leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. "You're speaking of torture, I assume." She nodded. He rotated his wrist, staring at his hands for a long time. "Is that the only option?" Her dark red eyes shrank as she stared at him. "Bring those who are talking the most, and those talking the least to me."

"Why so, my lord?" she asked.

"I plan on using both bribery as well as torture, to solve this riddle," he answered with a cruel grin.

"Does it mean anything to you if I were to say that the one speaking the most and least, were both children?" the admiral ask. Sozen's smile grew and he shrugged.

"Children are much easier to deal with than adults," he chuckled. "We might be get more information than we thought possible."

"And of their parents, my lord?" she asked.

"Have them disappear," he answer, his smile telling the tale. "And make sure that the children are not allowed back in the camp, either of them. I don't want them harmed for agreeing to work with us, or to cause a riot because of what they learn of our activities."

She looked at him, her shoulders shaking, as if she were laughing silently. "If that is your will, my lord."

"It is indeed, my will, admiral," he smiled.

"As you wish." She nodded again, and slinked out of the tent so quickly it was as if she had melted into the shadows.

The boy was lead away from the torture room, his body broken, shaking. He had tried to make a brave face, but confronted by such darkness, and considering he was only eleven, he broke quickly. His parents were gone, his friend who had been dragged in there with him, was gone now too, and he didn't know what they were going to do with him now. Numerous teeth were missing, cuts, burns, and bruises adorned his body. Admiral Daeva had not been nice, and the Fire Lord was not about to aide him as he pleaded for mercy. The only option was to let the cruel king know what he wanted, and hoped that his friends would survive his wrath.

The young girl who had been dragged in was a big mouth, but shut it when dragged in for torture and bribery. Her bones were smashed by bricks, her own talents of earth bending used against her. But her greed was her down fall. Promised to have her bones fixed, her parents safe, and enough money to make them nobles, the girl also spilled Gai's plans.

Sozen smiled. His expedition toward the two villages would be underway, and were now sure to lure his cousin into the battle he didn't want. Just to be sure, he brought in many more big mouths, and tortured and bribed information from them, the vast majority of it all matching. Many people died, especially the children. No one said that Daeva was a saint, though it seemed odd to him that she enjoyed herself completely as she pummeled, tore, abused, and degraded her victims, especially when she interrogated the children, it was as if she feed off their fear, and Sozen feed off the energies pouring from the admiral. At one point the admiral had severed a six year old's finger one after another, ignoring her tears, until the girl dropped unconscious. Before that she had taken a pin and put in under the girl's nails, both fingers and toes. After she collapsed from the torture Sozen had her decapitated and her body burned, useless trash that she was.

He prepared his forces, quickly mounting his men and women into the hills surrounding the two villages. Camouflage would cover his other units that would surround the enemies' rear, and flank. There would not be any escape, no option for Gai but to fight either to the bitter end, or to try to hack their way to freedom. Sozen felt his pulse race, the option of a final battle and the surrender of the Earth Kingdom would completely.

It was two weeks, the villages were nearly collapsing in flames, the people stuck in their old homes, as the Fire Nation put on the pressure. For a good long time Sozen had began to feel that he had been duped, either by the prisoner's or by Admiral Daeva. No sign of Gai, or his supposedly mighty army. He began to pace, unsure what he was to do. He could press his force further south, try to take the capital, or Omashu, but then if Gai was out there, he could route him from the side, crushing his army in two.

Kaori had from time to time sent letters, saying that he felt he was close to the avatar this time, or from what he had heard just missed him that time, and even other times complained at the uselessness of the situation, and claiming his father had expelled him from the kingdom in favor of trying to make a new heir, from the bloodline of this air bending admiral of his. The bureaucrats were complaining that there needed to be new taxes, or else throw the war out the window. It was a remake of the doubts and possible civil war that had plagued his early years of reign. All in a matter of just two weeks.

He was about to consider throwing them all out of power, taking it all over as he had done at the beginning of his rule, when during the late afternoon, there came reports from his scouts that an army of close to fifty thousand was heading in their direction, lead by Gai. With nothing to distract them, and should the weather stay good, they would arrived near these two villages within two days.

The Fire Lord made his final plans, re wrote his initial battle techniques, and moved a few units to new positions. The conquests of the two villages were sped up, and the trap was hinged into reverse, which caused them valuable time, but he was positive his cousin would fall for the trap. Gai was so noble, such a puppet of these lesser humans that he would do everything in his power to rush right into the trap, without giving his men time to rest.

And thus is how the Battle of the Two Villages did indeed play out in the early stages of combat. In just five hours of fighting, Gai's forces lost half its strength, while Sozen kept his true strength held back, ready to close the trap, and end the war. Waves, oceans of men fell to the ground, blood oozing from their bodies. Cannons, flames, rocks flew through the air, shattering the silence that had been the siege of these to villages.

Sozen cut down hundreds of men, half the strength he had. His eyes constantly scanned the horizon for Gai, his blades ready to taste his cousin's flesh and drink from his blood. Unfortunately, his cousin was no where to be seen. That absence only made him stronger, and he slashed further in violence and blood. His eyes were wide with anger, his body heaved with energy and surged with the raw power of fire, as he carved through the enemy, but it was not the same. Gai was supposed to be his ultimate enemy. Gai was supposed to be his prize.

An Earth Bender soldier rushed forward with a spike, headed for the Fire Lord's head, but stopped short as Sozen's blade caught him on his neck, and slashed upward, splitting his head in two. The body dropped, and Sozen turned to face his next victim, slicing his way almost all the way to the furthest units of the enemy, his own forces hurrying behind him for fear of him being cut off.

It was nine hours into the battle, when Sozen finally found his hated cousin, preparing his own push into the enemy's right flank. Their eyes met, anger and distain. Losing themselves to their emotions, the two rushed each other, and their blades clashed like lightning, the clash of the titans, of the pseudo gods of their time, one trying to protect his country and world, the other wishing for change.

"This is it, then," Sozen said. "This is where our rivalry ends."

"You seemed to have said that in our first encounter when the war first started," Gai said, dodging flame, and sending fire into his cousin's direction. "That didn't turn out very well, did it?"

"You aren't going to be so lucky now," the Fire Lord growled. "Not without your precious Air Nomads help."

"And you are going to be made to pay for their deaths," Gai snarled. "Avatar or no, you will be defeated. That comet gave me the same strength as any other fire bender."

"And you are a fool to use it to defend our oppressors," Sozen growled, swirling like a dancing Dervish, spinning his blade to connect with his cousin's.

"Open your eyes, the only oppressor I see here is you! What happened to your goals of peace?"

"Probably the same thing that happened to your wife, a year ago," Sozen smirked, slashing his cousin's cheek. Gai growled and threw himself at Sozen, the two turning into living fire balls dashing against the walls and corridors of the battlefield.

"I never changed, it was the world," Sozen continued. "It was stupid not to allow me to save it, it plotted instead to get rid of me."

"Do you realize how foolish you sound? You were never a whiner until that day that your mother died, now be a man and come to grips with what has happened, and end this madness."

"It is not going to go to end, until you are dead, and the Earth Kingdom realizes its need to follow its master," Sozen snarled, kicking Gai into the stomach. His cousin wheeled, and dropped, and punched him in the chin, making Sozen drop his sword. It was also the action that made Gai lose his footing, and slip off a nearby cliff that they had fought to.

He blinked as he watched his cousin dangling for his life and blinked. Somehow the shadows seemed to removed from his being. "Gai?" he asked, frowning as if he had just seen his cousin for the first time since Gai had taken the thrown. "Gai? What is going …,"

The darkness retook hold in his heart, and he blasted his cousin with a flame ball. Gai fell into the abyss, and with him, the Earth Kingdom's chances of victory at this battle. An hour after his death, Gai's men surrendered, and Sozen ordered them to be taken into camp.

"After they're processed," he told Admiral Daeva, "execute everyone last one of them, and then send a declaration to the BaSing Fe for their unconditional surrender." She smiled, her helmet removed, and Sozen looked off into the distance, with his own smile. He knew it in his heart, the war was coming to an end, and he was going to be the master of the first world empire.

_**Ah, but is he? Is the war coming to an end? We all know the answer to that. So what happens next? Well, now that we've seen him at the darkest, the human side begins to reassert power. Why, you'll just have to read and find out. Also what did you think of me creating a scenario of Aang's world actually being our future? Holy Crap, could you imagine what the Fire Nation would do with a NUCLEAR BOMB!**_

_**Anyway, on to chapter 10!**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Ziggy's Corner: Okay long time in doing this, but it kinda feels good to do it. The story is nearly over, two more chapters after this and the story is then done.**_

So many years it had been, she had died, and his son had now decided change his name, from the one he and his mother had given to him, down to Azulon. Sozen felt the waves of ages hit against his shoulders, and more than once he felt the urge to give up. Save for one thing that kept pushing him forward… justice.

_Justice or vengeance?_ Sozen grit his teeth, he did not have time for this now. Moving his arms around and standing straight, he breathed in and then out. Flames surrounded him, and not because he was sitting on his throne. The avatar was still out there, somewhere he was sure of it, but his son, Kao… Azulon still searched for him now his father's stead, and was now advised by Admiral Daeva. There was something he did not like that idea, but he could not place his finger on it.

"Fire Lord…," one of his generals said, walking up to him.

"I needed hear another report for today, general."

"But my Lord, things go wrong in the southern front and…,"

"Something always goes wrong in that area," Sozen growled, steam coming from his nostril. He glared at the general and crossed his arms. "Why bother me with such nonsense?"

"You're men sir,"

"Can take care of themselves, I have other matters to deal with!"

"My Lord," the other man snapped. It was the last thing he did, with a snap, Sozen brought him down. "I want someone to clean this mess up right now!"

It did not take long for someone to rush in and take care of the body as someone quickly cleaned up the blood. Then they were gone, and again Sozen was alone. He pouted, frowned and sat on his chair, stroking his beard.

He nearly had one third of this planet, he was a known name, feared, and no one ever laughed at the Fire Nation any more. There was no crime, not unless the criminals either paid their lord, OR wanted to be subscripted into the military with very little armor and weaponry. So why was he so empty, so bored?

He paced the halls, each wall and floor he so intimately knew, and groaned. He scowled, tried to get sleep, but when it refused to come, shot up and pushed his way out of the castle.

Sozen had done this many times, even before he was Fire Lord. He just needed fresh air, some peace of mind. It was dark, cold too as it was winter. He bundled up as best he could and slunk through the darkness, waiting for the guards to pass and then rushed by, ignoring them, ignoring everything until he entered a bar and quickly sat down.

"What will you have?" the bartender said. He was a short man with a beard that ran down to the floor and dark gray eyes. Scars littered his bald head and he peered at the cloaked king. "The usual huh?"

"Am I that frequent?" Sozen croaked, slinking his head on the table.

"Not as much as you were in your younger days," the bartender said, tossing him some ale. "It saddens me to see you so… so confused and…," he struggled for the right words. "I am just … worried about you my boy," he sighed with a little frustration.

Any other time Sozen would now be standing or sitting in front of a corpse, ordering clean up. He could not bring himself to kill this old man though. Since he had turned twelve and sipped his first ale, this man had been like a father to him, a much closer father than anything his real father could be.

"I know," Sozen said with a playful smile, sipping his drink. "I … am not sure what has happened to me over the past couple of years."

"You are full of sadness and despair boy," the bartender said. "More so since your wife died so long ago, when was the last time you spoke to your boy?"

"I wrote to Kao… Azulon a few weeks ago, he's doing fine."

"I meant about actually talking to him, and not about the Avatar or the military," the man said, turning his head to see his new aide having some problems with some rough men. He frowned as they grabbed and tossed the woman to the table, demanding that she speak to them with the utmost respect, and went to do something about it, when Sozen brushed him aside.

"You men should be on patrol," he growled, staring at a sergeant.

"Yeah, well if you knew the regiment we were with, you'd shut up," the drunk squad leader barked back, swaying back and forth. His eyes were foggy and he could barely talk.

"Sergeant Lee with the Rough Tridents," Sozen said with a hiss. The younger man smiled and gripped the woman's wrist. "Let her go."

"Since ya knows me so well, you should know not to mess with me, now if you gents will excuse us, we have business to teach this witch a very important lesson."

Sozen walked between the men and the door, glaring at them. "I think you should return back to your posts and hope I don't demand your heads," he growled. A few minutes passed and the men looked at him, before exploding into laughter.

"Move out of the way little man, before you get hurt," one of the thugs cackled.

"I was about to say the same thing to you," Sozen snarled. Quickly like a bolt of a lightning he tossed of his hood and glared at the men.

"Huh, ya know what is funny? You look a lot like the Fire Lord," the Sergeant Lee snarled.

"It is because he is," the tavern owner said, crossing his arms. The thugs looked at each other and laughed.

"Right, and I am Po the spirit of mischief," Lee said. "Now move out of our way," he tried to push through toward the door, but Sozen shoved him half way across the room with the palm of his hands to the man's chest.

"Look you snot nosed little bastard, get out of our way… if you do, I promise we won't hurt her at all…," Lee smiled at the young woman, flashing his dirty teeth. "In fact she is very pretty, might be all she needs is a good long night of non stop loving."

"We might have to tie her down for that," cackled one of the thugs holding her shoulders tight, keeping her from running.

"Good, I love playing rough," Lee said, reaching up to stroke her cheek. Her eyes widened as his arm slipped and dropped to the floor, blood spilling everywhere. Sergeant Lee cried in alarm, and turn as Sozen brought his blade across his face, cutting through inches of flesh, leaving the man blind in his left eye, which was now oozing yellow white paste from between his fingers.

Before the others could stop him, Sozen sideways flipped and brought another down to his knees with a shot to his kidneys. Now it was one and one, and the terrified, drunken soldier looked at the man who he no longer doubted was his king, and inched away.

"My Lord, sire… I….,"

"You will take these two men to the prison, return to clean up this mess, and pay the tavern owner for the mess you made." Sozen inched further and looked into the dull eyes of the frightened man. "But before that you will apologize to this young woman."

"I… I am sorry miss," he gulped. He took his friends' shoulders in his hands and pushed them out of the tavern, shuddering.

"I too am very sorry for this miss," Sozen said with a bright smile. "I normally do not let people see me act so… well as the Earth Kingdom normally acts," he said with a chuckle, ignoring the way her body tightened. "As you may well know, I am Fire Lord Sozen, but might I ask you your name?"

"Qi Xiang," she answered slowly. Her eyes were of such a bright green that Sozen could not but help feel as if he was lost within some kind of forest. Somewhere he could hear the song of a woman, and he felt pulled in deeper into that forest. The smell of fragrance and a gentle wave of air soothed his soul. _I have not felt like this since before the death of my wife._

"An interesting name, Ms Qi Xiang," Sozen said. "I do again apologize, not all soldiers or nobility are like them," he said with a smile.

"Far too many for my liking nowadays," she answered quickly.

"Yes… what with the war," Sozen sighed and shook his head.

"It has been going on for far too long, perhaps now would be a good time to talk of peace?" she asked.

Sozen frowned, his own muscles tightening. "Peace? When, when the enemy surrenders?" he fought the urge to push the darkness forward, the monster that so desperately desired blood.

"There need not be a surrender if people just lay down their arms and discuss what has happened, and what can happen with the proper unity."

Sozen opened his mouth and closed it yet again. The proper unity? What could that mean? "I suppose that might be a good idea, yes," he said… that song pushing back the monster back into the darkness. It was a power that had never been used on it before, a power that the darkness had never faced since the death of his beloved.

"That would be such a good thing to hear, my lord," the woman said and flashed him a smile of the whitest teeth he'd ever seen that he nearly lost his balance.

"How long have you been working for this man, I haven't seen you before," Sozen said asked.

"Just the last two weeks, but he's been so kind… I was working in his basement and attic, going through foods and produce, but I must have done such a good job, as he promoted me to the front counter, and then as a waitress quickly."

"She lost most of the produce, spilled my meat all over the floor, and screamed and nearly knocked down my glasses when she _thought_ she saw a snake spider," the tavern owner said with a laugh.

"It was a massive snake spider, and I only bruises a few apples," Qi Xiang snarled.

"A _few_ apples?! It was three crates!" the tavern owner yelled.

"Oh go sip on some nice soothing tea before your heart bursts old man," the young woman said with a sly smile.

Sozen blinked for a moment watching the banter. He was not sure whether to leap into defending the woman… whom he just met, or defend the man who was like a father to him for years. Finally the old tavern owner just sighed, chuckled and crossed his arms.

"And I thought you'd be able to handle the patrons," he said.

"And I was too, up until today," she laughed. Then she turned to Sozen and quickly kissed his cheek. "Until my white knight saved me." She giggled, waved good bye to the two men, and for the first time in a long time, Sozen seriously smiled.

_**Okay this was fun! It feels good to return back to one of my original fan fiction stories. Only two more chapters to go to the finish of this story. **_


	11. Chapter 11

_**Ziggy's Corner: Chapter eleven… this one is going to be a little lighter. Then we return back to the darkness for the darkest… saddest… and probably very depressing chapter of all, in the whole story, the end. **_

The war was still hot and heavy, but not as bad as it had been in years. A heavy burden had been lifted from Sozen's chest, one of worry, hate, and sorrow. Years seemed to slip off of him and despite his gray hair many said he looked much like he had once he had taken over the throne. Some even said he looked like the young prince he had been right before his mother and sister's deaths.

The demon which for so long had devoured his conscience, pushed him away from humanity and peace, was now fast asleep, hopefully forever. Even Azulon had seemed changed by this difference in his father, no longer the hateful and annoyingly selfish boy he had been, he'd grown into a fine young man and the proud father of a twelve year old named after his mother, Sozen's daughter in law, Irah, and a six year old boy, whom was the only seemingly dark reminder of those hellish days.

Qi Xiang, she'd helped return humanity too him, and in these last fourteen years the war swung from epic to just skirmishes. The one thing Sozen felt remorse for was that he could no longer see any Air Nomad diplomats to try and make peace. It had been a good twenty years before anyone had seen the last remaining Air Bender, save for his two stooges, and Sozen had let Admiral Daeva go years ago. As to what happened to the other, well, he was not quite sure.

Sozen finished the paperwork and set up, looking as the sun set behind his window. It was summer time now, and he heard his grandson laughing. He smiled, looking at the boy dashing around the royal gardens. Iroh, he was such a good boy, so pure, so innocent, much like his own sister was. Sozen sighed, his sister.

"It is a new time of peace love, you need not constantly wonder if you need to save the world," Qi said, walking up from behind him. He smiled at her words.

"It is hard to make die many old habits," he chuckled, letting her embrace him.

"Now is the time to kill them, before they become thorns that can choke out peace permanently."

Sozen pulled away and smiled, "I had no idea you were such a philosopher my dear."

"I barely knew it," she giggled as she kissed his cheek.

The two of them talked for hours, clouds flying by their heads as they sat on a large oak bench, watching the children laugh and play. All with the exception of Ozai. Sozen frowned and watched that boy carefully. There was so much of him in the child, and then some. As if the demon that had harashed him for so many years was not actually dead, but more like had moved onto to a new host.

The child sat slumped against the base of a tree, his eyes closed, his arms folded in a fit of temper. Sozen called Iroh over to him and motioned to the boy, "What is wrong with your brother?"

"He is upset that his father would not take him to a battle field, some place called Gar Sai."

Sozen sighed. Peace might have been coming their war, but the war was far from ready to lay in the coffin and let the lid be covered over. Qi put her hand on his shoulder and he smiled. "Your brother is not yet ready for such a mission or unimportant matters. Go take him to your mother, and then get ready for supper."

The boy nodded his head, and urged his brother to reluctantly follow him to Ila, their mother. "It is just so hard, what if I were to die on the field of battle, or even in the diplomat's room? What if Azulon were to die? What would happen to those boys?"

"Thus is why the war must end my love, so that such fears are not realized," Qi said with another kiss. From the corner of her eyes she spied Ozai glare at her, and something a normal person would back away from, she just smiled gently and nodded at the boy, who scowled and ran away behind a wall. "But I have other duties to attend to as well, and must be going."

"I wish you did not," Sozen sighed.

"As I wish you did not have to leave so often as you do, but such is fate," she giggled, kissing his cheek again. She hugged him and disappeared herself, leaving Sozen to his thoughts.

_You really don't believe that the war will end, that the Earth Kingdom will learn its place do you?_ That voice always seemed to hit him hard in the gut when Qi Xiang was no longer around.

"Time will tell," Sozen sighed.

_You are sounding as weak as your father, ready to let anyone walk over your back just so you can have peace. You used to be strong, cold, fearless. Where is that Sozen?_

"He is dead, and is not coming back," Sozen muttered under his breath, walking back to his quarters, to get ready for dinner himself.

_Time might say differently…._

Months passed, and while the war was still ebbing and swaying. Qi Xiang continued to work her magic, continued to calm his heart, and the voice disappeared more and more. As of late, it had been weeks since he had last heard it, and Sozen could feel the magical spring of his youth.

"We agree to retreat from the western areas of the Earth Kingdom, were as, the Earth Kingdom agrees to pull out their navy from the Northern Water Tribes, and give us the village of Dia Gyai Ru."

"But this is the home of the Buggy Swamp Water tribe," one of the diplomats cried out in alarm, making them all jump.

"But they no longer even use it, and my people need that water to use for the gears of our ships," Sozen said.

"But what guarantee do we have that you wont use those ships to attack our borders?" the fat man grumbled.

"And what guarantee do I have that you won't use it as a base against our southern holdings?" Sozen growled.

"I will not agree to such an improper proposal…,"

"Enough, Fire Lord Sozen does have a point, Hugh," a thin Earth Nation diplomat said.

"And the buggy water will not give them the strength they need to launch an attack against our borders either," a northern water tribesman said with a nod.

"All it should technically do is allow us to patrol what areas we already control as well as our own homes," a fire admiral said.

"This is ridiculous, my people will not agree to such an asinine proposal, I say no," Hugh growled.

The peace room seemed to dance with the music of voices, both hostile as well as calming. Bright oranges and reds radiated against the wall, fine silk flags dangled against them, bearing the image of the Fire Nation. There were now also a few Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom banners hanging, so as to give the image of unity and fairness.

Hugh would have none of what they discussed, and finally rose and stomped out of the room, leaving the rest of the men astonished and frustrated. "It will not matter, their's is a small group, it should be very easy to convince them that their way of thinking is a fools game," one of the Earth generals said with a nod of his head. He stood up and shook the Fire Lord's hand. "Sir, I look forward to seeing peace for our peoples yet again."

"As do I," Sozen said with a nod of his head. He bid the other men a good day, and then walked away to his quarters, slipping through the window and down to the carnival, where he met with Qi.

The two of them walked hand in hand watching his people. It was a nice night, gentle, sweet, calm. "What is the matter my love?" she whispered into his ears. He turned and looked at her gentle eyes.

"Not a thing I can think of," he said with a smile.

"Must everything politics?" she groaned. Again she kissed his cheek and giggled.

"You are making a habit of that," he laughed.

"Yes so I am," she said with a big smile. They cuddled and quickly pulled apart as fire works stroked the night skies in celebration of his reign as well as the promise of peace.

"I promise not to let it get me…," he frowned and watched as some of his guards rushed forward. "What is it now?"

"Lady Ila, sire, there is something wrong with her," one of them gasped.

Sozen blinked, frowning, was he hearing this right?

"We think she might have been poisoned sir," the other guard said.

"No," tears began to sting his eyes, "no, no no," he shouted batting his head back and forth.

"Oh Sozen," Qi Xiang said softly, putting her hand on his shoulder. He pushed her away… not realizing he had done it. The shadows had begun to grow around him again, and his knees buckled, forcing the nearly seventy year old man to his hands. "Sozen, love…," Qi Xiang said again, but her siren song was failing.

_I told you time would tell, _the voice mocked him. It was back, and stronger then ever.

"No, no this can not be happening again," he yelled and bolted toward the palace, screaming like a mad man. Qi Xiang tried to follower her lover, but though he was so old, he was still very fast. He soon left her in dust., drowning her cries out with insane howls of terror and rage. It was supposed to be peace again, why was it happening all over again, why now, that he had finally find his peace? This new love?

Sozen reached his daughter-in-law's door, and noticed his grandchildren. Iroh was wringing his hands, his eyes dark and sad, but when he noticed his grandfather he attempted his best smile to cheer the old man up.

"It was someone from the inside," Ozai snapped. "It was a spy, perhaps from the Earth Kingdom."

The monster took complete control, his eyes turned blood red, and Sozen felt himself snarl. "Bring me their blood in a cup, do what is necessary to make them suffer for this," he hissed.

_**Shudder, well it was nice up till the end. The darkest form is the next and final chapter. **_


	12. Chapter 12

_**Ziggy's Corner: Okay the final chapter, this was fun and kind of sad to finally see it end. This is my first ever Avatar story ever, so its been an amazing journey and I have loved every minute of it. I can remember when I first posted this there was less the eight hundred stories at How time flies!**_

Fire flooded the entire valley. Sozen looked down at the carnage, a smug smirk on his face. They would pay for what they did, they would pay for trying to poison his family, and try to fool him with false words of peace. He could hear people cry, women darting around as his Rhino riders chased them down, and brought their blades down into their soft bodies. The soft brown ground choked on the blood as the village was swallowed in smoke.

"Fire Lord Sozen," his captain called, riding up. "Sire, the village is destroyed, and those who rebelled against us are now either dead or in chains."

"Did I order them in chains?" Sozen asked in a thick dark, glutteral voice.

"Sire, perhaps some of these people can tell us who poisoned your daughter-in-law," the captain stuttered.

"Am I interested in hearing excuses, captain? No, let me answer that for you. I am not, just results. The quicker this war become more gritty, the quicker it will end."

"But if we kill everyone…," the captain stopped and inched back under the gaze of his king. "Of course sire, but what of the prisoners?"

"Drown them in the river," Sozen barked and turned away.

Six weeks of chaos. The diplomats were the first to make pay of this crime, then the merchants. Nothing brought him happiness, and to be honest he did not even remember what had brought forth this blood lust. Oh there was a part that did, his daughter-in-law, but she had not died.

_So why this insanity?_ It was his calming voice, one that he had so quickly found peace with. _You are afraid, you hope to control death itself, and you know you can not._

"I am the Fire Lord, the master of this planet, I fear nothing, I control all."

_That is your darkness talking, what of Qi Xiang? You have not spoken to her or sought her out in the last couple of weeks. _

Sozen snarled, and batted his head back and forth, "Who?" he asked the voice. The name seemed familiar, but it was little consequence to him now. All he wanted was control. Control of his life… that he was not subject to fate as those lower than he was.

Sozen rode off, making his way to his camp, and looked over the notes. Not only was the Earth Kingdom being forced back into retreat in all directions, but the capital city was about to fall as well. With Ba Sing Se in his hands, and turned to dust, Sozen knew he'd have the control he wanted.

_And what of the order you wished to establish?_

Sozen paused, this was not the voice of his youth as it had been. Nor was it the insane monster who pushed him into darkness. It was not even his father. It was his sister's voice. His body quivered, and he spun around, looking at the dark red fabrics, the swords hanging in the corner. In the reflection, he could spy her face.

She looked just as she did when she was still alive. Though her eyes were bright with sadness, her face lined with worry. "You… you don't understand…," he whimpered.

_Understand what? That you have completely lost your mind? That you have brought darkness to a land that was filled with light?_

The old man shook his head and scowled. "No… no, you don't know what you are talking about…," he snapped. "I wanted control. Its all I wanted."

_Liar!_ cried his younger voice, the face of the noble young fire lord etched in the fabric of his bed. _Liar, you wanted peace and order. Not control. _

Sozen recoiled with horror. "No… that can't be right!" His mind raced, his heart beat against his chest. "No…," he whimpered, covering his ears and shutting his eyes.

_So this is the land and the mission you thought so much better than my path, is it son? _His father glared at him behind his eyelids. Sozen gasped, watching as the map of their world slowly burn and turn red. He heard the cries of the people, even his own Fire Nation citizens. People he had thought he had long served were in despair.

"This can not be…," Sozen cried. He was poisoned, his drink had been tampered with some how… yes that had to be it! He quickly shot up and tore into his tent, ripping and thrashing things about looking for evidence he could use against those who wanted to torment him.

_Beloved. _Sozen froze with fright. His wife… that was her voice.

_Lover, please stop this madness,_ Qi Xiang, even she was speaking to him now.

Then the demon spoke to him, _Look at your throne, your power. Look at what you have achieved! With my help you can even extend your reach to the stars, even reach the comet named after you and hold onto its power for all time. _

"Power," Sozen said with a smile and turned his gaze to the stars, the blood red flaming ball seemed just within reach.

_No…_ Iroh called. _Grandfather, I beg you stop this. This is not who you are._

_But it is who he is, _the demon chuckled, the voice sounding like Ozai. _Control, power, fear and wealth are his. No one doubts his strength now. Grandfather… your throne awaits._

Sozen smiled looking at the large golden throne, decorated with such jewels and purities that he could not but drift toward it. _Yes, look at it Grandfather, _Iroh shouted at high pitch. Sozen looked at the spirit of his grandson and back at the throne. His eyes grew with terror as it was a pile of molten flesh and bone. The stench of strong mushrooms, of decay filled his nose and he backed away with a shake to his head. The chair looked at him with demonic eyes and seemed to grin, ready for its prey.

"No…," Sozen cried.

The old man turned and ran from the vision, from his tent, ignoring the cries of his men. He ran as fast as he could, clutching his eyes as if he were trying to cut them out of his head to stop the hideous things. Sozen gasped and grunted, tripping over a rock and rolled and flopped down a stream, were he gazed into the water, and saw for the first time the true Sozen.

The demon was him. He was the maniac, the lunatic, he was what would bring chaos that the old man predicted to him so long ago… not the Earth Kingdom. Sozen splashed and splashed at the image, to make it go away, but it kept staring at him, mockingly.

It was then that he spied a body floating along the river, and he hurried toward it, skidding at a stop when he spied a second. It was the tavern owner, his adopted father. And the body next to him…, Sozen shook his head, looking up as laughing Fire Archers shot arrows into the dead bodies.

"What are you doing?" he screeched up at them, using his strength to rushed at the attackers. The two men frowned and cocked their heads.

"Fire Lord Sozen?' one of them asked. "Sire what are you…," he gasped as Sozen clutched his neck.

"Who told you to do this?" Sozen cried, looking down at the bodies of the old man and … and her.

"Sire you did," the archer cried. "We had these two captive, the woman wanted to talk to you, but of course orders are orders and…," Sozen broke his neck and wept.

"She wanted to talk to me?" he cried, falling to his knees.

_Poor beloved… _her voice said echoing in his ears. _I do not blame you. _

"If only I had let go of my hate," the king cried. "If only I did not let my pride… oh Agni, Qi Xiang. Why did I let this happen to you?" He dug his fingers into his skin and continued to weep, ignoring the voice of the other archer. "Why, what a fool am I?" He turned his gaze up and widened them, watching as a barely living man and his son were chopped into bits by some guards. Another woman was in the last grips of death as his men held her down into the water. "We're the Earth Kingdom bandits," he whimpered.

"Sire, I am not…sire!"

Sozen pushed past the archer and thrust his guards away from the woman, pulling her out of the water. Her face was light blue and her lips black. He was seconds too late. "Damn it." He glared at his soldiers, who recoiled in confusion and horror. "Stop this chaos," he ordered. "If there are any survivors take them to the palace. I will tell you what…," a pain thrust in his chest and he gasped… dropping to his knees.

The old man turned to see a very small figure, a boy with a boy and arrow smirk at him from the shadows, and then vanish. "Ozai?" Darkness took him, and as it did, the last thoughts in his mind were sorrow and penance. Then there was a bright light, and he saw the form of Avatar Roku watch him.

"I… I am sorry for my foolishness," Sozen cried.

"Though it is dark now, there is still hope, the boy… Aang still lives. One day he will return."

"Will he be able to undo the evil I did?" Sozen asked pleadingly.

"It is too soon to know for sure," Roku said sorrowfully. He put his hand on Sozen's shoulder and smiled gently. "But I can see the sorrow and penance in your eyes." He escorted the Fire Lord down a gray path.

"No one is left, and I shall not be reunited with my family until the evil which I did is undone," Sozen said.

"True, but there is still hope," Roku said.

"Hope," Sozen said, blinking.

"Hope," Roku said with a nod. He smiled and motioned for the Fire Lord to enter a room. When Sozen had done what was asked of him, the spirits of his family quickly appeared and hugged him, before vanishing.

The last to leave him was Qi Xiang and his wife, who both smiled at him gently and disappeared. Sozen sighed. _Hope._

_**And it is over. Sad but finally done. I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Originally I was going to do a story about Azulon's reign after this but I am not sure if I will or not. Maybe one day. **_


End file.
